


Brave New World, Book 4: Turns of Truth

by MoonFox



Series: Brave New World [4]
Category: Doctor Who & Related Fandoms, Merlin (TV), Stargate SG-1
Genre: F/M, Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-01-13
Updated: 2014-02-05
Packaged: 2018-01-08 16:00:22
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 14
Words: 44,692
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1134664
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/MoonFox/pseuds/MoonFox
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Fourth piece in the Brave New World Series.<br/>The calm before the storm as the different realities collide.  Truths of the past are discovered and have life changing effects on Merlin and the others.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Rating upped to Mature for Language, sexual content  
> Beta read by IcarusLSU for flow, and proofread by Nance for grammar. All remaining errors are mine.

**Brave New World 4: Turns of Truth**

****

 

 

 

Blinking rapidly, Merlin shook off the chilling effects of the wormhole travel. Sunlight flooded the hilltop clearing around the Gate. Immediately, his senses came alive, feeling the old magic that he had once associated with the druids, mingling around him. The forest surrounding the clearing called to him. It was intoxicating, the magic of this world. It resonated with something deep inside his soul.

"You okay there?" Gwaine asked, raising an eyebrow toward his friend.

Merlin shook his head, but answered that he was fine. He was, too. It was amazing, and he was unable to find the words to describe it. Instead, he motioned for Colonel Reynolds and the rest of SG-3 to lead on. He was anxious to meet the Nox.

For the past few months, he had spent countless hours going through the pages of data stored in the alien file, and sifting through the old vaults that were hidden deep below the manor. Arthur had accompanied him down into the depths and had questioned the extra stuff he found there. Merlin had to take a step back, and he looked at the vast caverns through his friend's eyes. He finally admitted that he hadn't realized how much stuff he had found, and stored over the years.

Unfortunately, with more stuff, came less organization...and watching as Merlin attempted to remember where he had put some certain item, or other...like the Sidhe staff...amused Arthur to no end. After many fruitless searches, Merlin had to concede that he couldn't remember what had happened to it. He had hoped to use it to help contact the Sidhe, as his previous efforts to contact the faery race went unnoticed. Whether that was due to the little buggers ignoring him, or if they had truly disappeared over the centuries, Merlin was unable to say.

Aside from the vaults, Arthur assisted Merlin whenever he was able...when he wasn't badgering Merlin to train him in the martial arts. For the most part, however, the former king was relishing in a well-deserved break from his previous duties of running a kingdom. He spent a lot of time in the stables, or out in the woods, riding for hours.

At other times, Arthur accompanied Leon and Percival...who admitted without hesitation, that he much preferred Leon's spaceship to Merlin's aircraft...out amongst the stars, but Arthur was never able to stay away for long from the family he had almost lost.

Guinevere's anxiety had eased, when Martha began tutoring her in various aspects of the modern world. Not having anything substantial to do with herself...such as running a kingdom...she had begun mothering over Arthur to the point of annoyance. Once redirected, the former queen was immersing herself in on-line courses that she needed, in order to eventually attend university. General Landry's words, that she 'would make one hell of lawyer,' were proving to be almost prophetic. On top of all that, Guinevere was also pregnant.

Mickey was...Mickey. Computers. Weapons. Torchwood. At times, he would say something that sounded more like Elyan, than himself. They were just brief glimmers into a past life that he never clearly remembered, but it was enough for Guinevere to bring him into her life and heart. Not having had any siblings of his own, or any family to speak of, he quickly took to the idea of being an adopted uncle and brother. Arthur had even started training him in the use of swords, and other medieval weaponry. The young man spent more time at New Camelot, as Arthur had dubbed it, than in Cardiff with Torchwood.

Percival was rarely around. He had chosen to accompany Leon, who no longer had to worry about the sword, through the galaxy. The large knight adapted as easily as he had to everything else, once the initial shock wore off. Their mission, as ordered by Arthur: to find out anything they could about the Ori. Based mostly on Merlin's intuition, it gave them all something to focus on.

Losing Gwaine's grandfather, as a result of the virus, was an affront to them all.

Gwaine was still working with the SGC, having become a member of SG-3, and really appeared to enjoy the new team. He rambled on about how Mooney had just recently recovered from some addictive corn, that the Lucian Alliance had begun growing to build their profits.

Merlin was saddened to hear that the Priors had struck a disheartening blow to the SGC. They had given to one of the worlds that decided to bow down to them, blueprints to a satellite weapon platform. When the SGC found out, Prometheus was sent to investigate, and attempted to take it out. Unfortunately, the satellite was brought on-line and it managed to take the great battle cruiser out of the atmosphere, above a planet called Tegalus. Thirty-nine of the ship's one hundred and fifteen member crew, had perished.

It was his idea to drag Merlin through the Gate to the Nox homeworld. After Leon had described to them all, more about the races of the galaxy, and how he was under the impression that the Nox had helped train the druids, it didn't take much to convince Merlin to go.

He had wanted to take the trip in Leon's ship. The idea of flying through the stars appealed to Merlin's sense of adventure. Gwaine wouldn't hear of it. The Stargate was a highly regulated device, and this was the Marine's first shot at actually getting permission to drag one of his friends through...aside from Percival, who wasn't about to go near that thing again.

Although, not afraid of new things, Merlin wasn't certain how to handle the idea of wormhole transport. After this one trip, however, he was able to see why it was such a draw for his friend.

"Are you coming?" Gwaine hollered from the edge of the forest.

Merlin grinned and readjusted his pack, before following.

* * *

 

"I think something is going on with them, Merlin."

The warlock laughed, "So, what? It's not like they're hurting anyone."

Gwaine rolled his eyes in response. "I just don't like her lying to me." They trudged on a bit more. "How goes the quest for the family?" He asked, changing the subject.

"Gwen and Arthur are expecting."

"That's great!...But, also...not the family I was asking about."

Merlin shrugged, "No luck, yet." The flatness in his voice signaled to Gwaine that he wanted the subject dropped. Although he was ecstatic for Gwen and Arthur, he was a bit disappointed to not yet be expecting a child of his own.

"These are the coordinates Dr. Jackson gave us," said Lieutenant Mooney, from up ahead in a small clearing.

"Any sign of the Nox?" Colonel Reynolds asked.

Mooney shook his head.

"You and Walters do a perimeter check." His voice sounded slightly concerned. "Usually, one of Nox meet us here when we come through, if not at the Gate itself."

Daniel had told Merlin a little bit about the Nox, before Merlin departed with SG-3 through the Gate. They were a very peaceful race of people, that had almost a symbiotic connection with their planet, which they called Gaia. There should have been a small hut and garden where they were standing, according to the reports. Although, Daniel had also informed him that the Nox had the ability to hide things.

Merlin sent out feelers with his magic, trying to detect anything out of the ordinary.

_Emrys..._

Merlin almost stumbled, as the voice entered his mind. Gwaine was beside him, his P-90 pushed around to his back, out of the way so he could catch his friend. "What is it?"

Shaking off the surprise sensation of the druidic-style telepathy, something he hadn't experienced for centuries, Merlin suddenly perked up and smiled, "This way!" He called out cheerily, and began darting quickly through the forest.

* * *

 

The trees and ferns thickened, but he kept moving forward, as if the path was clear. His excitement at having heard the voice call to him, as the druids once had, was palpable. He skidded to a halt, when a cave loomed up before him.

 

 

 

 

 

 

A tiny woman...her hair looked like a wild growth of moss and flowers, and her dress was much the same fashion...sat on a boulder beside the entrance. _"Our kind has waited a long time to see one of yours again."_

 _"Who are you?"_ He asked, automatically slipping into the mental conversation. It had been during the years following Camelot's downfall, that he had taken the time to actually get to know the druids. King Rodor, and later his son, had strived to maintain peace between their people and the nomads; part of which had involved Merlin learning some of their ways.

_"I am called Lya, and I have become a sort of emissary for my people."_

_"The Nox?"_ He asked.

_"Yes...and you are the last of yours."_

His eyebrows rose in curiosity.

_"You are the last of the Furlings. We were afraid you had been destroyed, even after the protection my people and the Ancients had provided."_

"What do you mean?" His brow furrowed. The files he read, had jumped between almost textbook-style, dry reading on the procreation of dragons, and an oddly prophetic diary of sorts. He hadn't been able to learn as much as he had hoped, of what he thought was the Furling species.

"What does what mean? You've done nothing but stand there, looking at each other." Mooney's voice asked, but was immediately shushed by Gwaine.

Merlin had almost forgotten the others were there. He winced and turned around with a sheepish grin. "Sorry, Lya and I were speaking."

The Nox stood up and smiled at the others. "Welcome to Gaia." She said. Her hand swept outward in an arc, and nearby, a bounty of fresh fruits appeared. "Please...feel free to enjoy these gifts, while Emrys and I speak."

She raised her hands and a city appeared in the air above them. The men from the Stargate stared upwards. Crystal blue, glass-like towers rose up from what looked like a piece of a tall mountain, but there was only blue sky between it and the ground. There was something natural and organic about the way the buildings curved and blended with the trees on it.

 

 

 

Words could not have described the feeling it elicited from Merlin. Through the air around it, he saw creatures flying. At first, he thought they were wyvren, cousins of the dragons he once called kin. As one came closer, he saw they resembled insects...almost like a delicate, lighter colored serket. Instead of the large pincers, it had wings...like a dragonfly's...translucent and shimmering with the glow of magic. They must have spanned nearly eight feet by his reckoning.

He laughed out loud in wonderment. Gwaine whistled appreciatively beside him. "I heard about these. Before the flare threw me back in time, SG-1 had come here to try and capture one of those. They were told the creatures had the ability to turn invisible."

"Do they?" He asked first of his friend, before turning to Lya.

She shook her head and chuckled, "No. It is the Nox who protect them, like we do our home." Holding out her hand, her thoughts indicated it was time for Merlin to join her.

Merlin smiled at his friend. He sensed that Gwaine was reluctant to stay behind. "Don't worry! I'll tell you all about it, later."

"I'll hold you to that." He slapped Merlin on the shoulder, before rejoining the other members of his team.

Turning back to Lya, Merlin nodded and took her hand. He felt her power wrap around him, submerging him in a cascade of warm energy...it felt so much like magic as he remembered it.

 _"Is it magic?"_ He tentatively asked, while gazing out of one of the windows. The floating city was even more beautiful up close. The glass he had thought some of the towers were made with, was actually crystal, and it resonated with a natural power.

 _"You can call it that, if you like."_ She giggled out loud.

 _"Well, it seems real magic is a rare thing these days, especially on Earth. There were once people, called druids, who were attuned with nature, as you seem to be._ "

_"Yes, our history says we were the one who began their teachings. There were some, children of the Furlings, who did not possess the ability to create the bond they needed. Many of them still had talent for accessing the powers of the mind to do 'magic.'"_

Merlin nodded in agreement, although he didn't quite understand. It had been a long time, since he had to decipher riddles given to him by magical beings. Although, he wasn't quite certain where the Nox fell in the grand scheme of things. _"What is this bond? I have only heard the name Furlings recently...and I thought it referred to the beings I called dragons. My father's voice came to me after he had died, and said something about sharing a soul with the dragon. I never knew what he meant though."_

 _"They are the Furlings, as much as you are. You are much older than I...older by three times than many of our elders...and yet you do not know of this?"_ Lya appeared deeply troubled by this thought.

_"No...I guess I don't. I am the last Dragon Lord, as was my father before me. I did not inherit my gift until he was killed."_

Lya stopped, placing a hand on his forearm. _"Truly?"_

Merlin felt like a child before her, even though she had admitted he was older than her.

_"We have many things we can teach you. Tell me, where is your dragon? I expected he would have come with you."_

_"...I don't have a dragon."_

_"Then...how is it you still live? Your kind is a symbiotic race. One cannot exist without the other."_

Merlin sighed. The only dragon he knew of, was the one who had wanted nothing to do with him. _"...I don't know where Aithusa is. I haven't for many centuries."_

 _"That explains the darkness that eats inside your soul."_ Even her mental voice was soft and matronly.

He paused, wondering how she was so perceptive.

_"Come, you have much to learn, and very little time, if the prophecies of your people are to be believed."_

* * *

 

The tapestry was spread around him, in all directions. Lya had indicated that he should stand in the center of the room. The moment his feet landed in a faint circle in the middle, the floor around him began to glow. Colorful threads wove out from him into the air. The web of life...the same thing he had only seen in his mind that one time...sprang up before him.

It nearly overwhelmed him, as he tried to take it all in. His head began to spin, and a wave of nausea threatened to overtake him.

Lya's voice came to his mind. _"You cannot control the destiny of others, only your own."_

_"So, is that where I failed Morgana...trying to change the path I saw for her?"_

He felt her smile sadly, in response. _"I don't know who she is, or was, but it is likely."_

Merlin took a deep breath. He closed his eyes and began to filter through his own, tumultuous thoughts. Drawing on his Eastern training, he willed his mind to quiet.

_"Find your beginning, and allow it to lead you to what you need to see."_

He found the line of his own fate...a purple color, like the flower Gwen had once given him. _"It suits you."_ Gwen had said. He smiled at the memory. She was so shy back then, and he was completely oblivious to her advances.

It seemed so dauntingly long, but the moment he willed himself to the beginning, he was there. Merlin was able to find the exact moment he came into being. On a whim, he found the threads of his parents' lives. Their joining was a such a tiny knot in the fabric.

Hunith's was a peaceful, azure blue...the color of the sky...and the other was a strong bronze that could only have been Balinor. It was almost the same color as Kilgharrah's scales. Woven in with Balinor's, was a line that was the exact hue of the dragon. Merlin followed the string back, and was shocked by how far it stretched into the past. It became more difficult for him to stay with, the further it went. If his own line was anything to go by...Balinor had lived almost as long as Kilgharrah. The revelation shocked and intrigued him.

He moved forward again. Still tracking Balinor's life-thread, he saw the moment it ceased. The connection was nearly lost, when Merlin realized with a surprise, that the dragon's line had jumped to Merlin's own. Although, not as heavily braided into it, he was still able to tell, that singular moment, when he became a Dragon Lord.

A little further along, was another knot. It was so bright, that it almost blinded him.

"Aithusa..." The name escaped his lips, just as it had done the moment he had first called to the dragon.

For a few years, Merlin's line was linked with both dragons, but he began to notice Kilgharrah's was starting to fray. He now knew, the cloud-like wisp he had seen before, was the little, white dragon. Merlin saw as it began to take over the place Kilgharrah's line had been.

His heart began to feel the ache, as if the wound was fresh again, when the elder dragon separated and started to fade.

Camlann.

He didn't even have to think about it to know. The whole tapestry was a jumbled mess at that point. Gwaine and Percival's lines jumped to the future. Arthur's turned nearly invisible. Kilgharrah's ceased entirely, as did many others closely associated with his own.

Aurie appeared not long afterwards, as a deep indigo-blue. H He had brought such a calm and passionate influence with him, in his tiny body. Merlin remembered the day he was born with fondness. The entire kingdom had rejoiced.

Then, Gwen and her son's had all but ended, as well. With Merlin's new-found knowledge of the alien technology, he was able tell where they joined Arthur...neatly hidden away from the rest of existence.

Leon's line was strong. Merlin now saw where the two of them had separated. Each took a different path to their destiny. There were others he distinguished...Lancelot's for one. He felt overwhelmed. A dizzying sensation filled his head. It was too much.

Merlin felt Lya's presence overcome the confusion, like a gentle, motherly hand, pulling him back to himself. _"There is only one race of people who has been able to see the entire vortex, and they are all but gone. Stay with your own, and you will be safe."*_

Drawing a deep breath, he found his way back to where he and the white dragon had last seen each other. Aithusa's line dimmed. It was still connected to Merlin's, but they drifted further apart, as if struggling to break free of each other. Strands, thin as a spider's web, continued to link them...but just barely.

Merlin's mind skated along between the lines. He noticed each time he had felt stronger, so to had Aithusa's brightened. Likewise, when one or the other darkened, they both did. He realized now what Lya had meant about the bond. Merlin's heart was heavy with guilt about his ignorance.

He came to the present area of threads and knots. It was intertwined with so many others...Arthur, Gwen and the knights. Martha's was so close to his, it may has well have been braided to his own. Merlin smiled at that. He noticed the edges of his own reality beginning to fray.

Wandering back along Aithusa's path, he saw areas where he had almost given up hope, and her lifeline had dimmed. During World War II when, had he been mortal, he would have died in the plane crash, Aithusa's nearly ceased as well.

Places where his brightened, like when he had met Ning, or had seen Martha at the Globe Theatre...Aithusa's had glowed, as well. They were connected in moods and life...where the spider silk fibers attached the two of them. They mirrored each other.

Merlin spied little holes...tears in the fabric that were becoming unravelled...and he knew without a doubt now, where the hole inside himself had come from.

The dragon was so far away from him now, there was barely a connection left. It was only in the recent months that Aithusa's line, torn and tattered, was weakening even more, and had to draw on his own just to stay alive.

A part of him wanted to continue on forward, into a darkness he was unable to see through. His instincts pulled him back to the present. He allowed his consciousness to drift lazily for a while, before he willed his eyes to open.

Lya beckoned to him, and they left the room together in silence. There was still a lot left for him to learn.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Images used were found on the web, they are not mine, just borrowed.
> 
> *Doctor Who fans will understand this


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter Two:**

* * *

Unaware of his forward movement, he didn't notice when walls of green hedges loomed up around him, and had cut him off from the world. At first, they appeared to be soft and fuzzy, like a warm blanket, but when his hand touched them, there was a pricking at his fingertips. It was only then, that he truly began to realize how far he'd gone.

For a moment, his blue eyes scanned his surroundings with trepidation. He couldn't see anyone. He felt completely alone, as if the world had forgotten about him. There was no way to go. His mind began to panic. Glancing up and down the path, fear gnawed at his very soul.

A sound up ahead interrupted his worrisome thoughts. Taking hesitant steps forward, he realized there was a break in the pattern. Carefully, he glanced around the corner.

A loud guttural sound; a growling, like that of a wild beast, greeted him.

He screamed and spun around. His wobbly legs, grown stronger with each passing day, held firm and carried him swiftly back the way he had come. He felt relief in a manner he was unable to express, when he heard her voice. Suddenly, her arms were around him, offering him safety, and he knew she would protect him.

* * *

 

"Arthur! Don't be scaring him like that!" Gwen berated her husband, while she held her son close.

The blond man pouted. He had been kneeling in the path around a corner of the short hedges that barely came to his waist. Part of him felt guilty for scaring the toddler, but in truth, he was more amused than anything.

It was the first nice day of spring. It felt wonderful to be outside in the manicured gardens with his family. There was a room in the manor that had been dedicated as a gym, and Arthur spent a lot of time in the warm and dry climate, working out. He wondered why he had never thought of doing this inside the castle for his knights to train, during the rainy winter months.

Arthur had easily caught on to much of the 'Kung Fu' training that his friend was giving him, and he found himself fascinated by the movies that featured such fighting. He constantly badgered Merlin, asking if the warlock was able to do this move, or that one...Or, how the hell did that man, Jackie Chan was his name, actually climb the wall?

He missed the old Camelot. Each day, it was becoming easier for him to put that previous life aside. The previous few months had been a tidal wave of information for Arthur. He'd never before imagined the world to be as large as it was. Through science, the debate on whether the world was round or flat, had been finally solved. That alone, was enough to make his head spin in a way similar to the globe that had been shown to him.

Merlin had been teaching him how to manage the estate, which was rather simple comparatively, and how to interact with the modern world. He was amazed at how Merlin seemed to earn his living doing virtually nothing now.

Patents. Merlin held a lot of pieces of paper that were somehow connected to bits of aircrafts. By owning the design, he was able to charge money for other people and companies to use them. He also had a substantial income from his work in helping to start up UNIT in the 1960's. For over fifty years, Merlin had worked as part of the British government to establish the quasi-military organisation. Add to that, his prior service with the RAF, and before that the RFC...plus countless other endeavors. Now that he had decided to officially retire, since Arthur and the others had came back into his life, he was given an allowance to live off of.

He had on staff, someone called a financial broker, as well. It was actually a group of people dedicated to managing the income, and helping to build it. A lot of money went out too. There was an orphanage, just outside of Shanghai, that Merlin funded, as well as many other charitable organisations he contributed to.

However, Arthur was growing bored of this stagnant existence. He was ready for more.

The others all had things to do...purpose that drove them forward. Gwaine was a warrior, through and through. He was no longer the displaced drunkard he'd been, when Arthur had first met the man. Leon reminded Arthur of Tristan...cynical and closed off. Although, recently he had begun to show signs of life beyond the cool exterior. Percival had changed a bit on the exterior, but he was still the same kid...near in age to Merlin when they were back in old Camelot...who had stood up at the round, stone table, and vowed his sword and strength to Arthur.

Guinevere...his beautiful, amazing, wife. She acted, much of the time, as if she had been born to live in this time and place. Her hair was styled differently. Much more free flowing and sort of messy, he loved the softness her curls now. The jeans she wore some days, sent his heart...and other places much lower in his anatomy, into a frenzy. Which led to the day he had nearly fainted.

Arthur was still adjusting to being the father of one amazing child, when Gwen had informed him that she was pregnant, again.

They had hoped for the blessing of a child for years in Camelot, and seemed to be unable to conceive. Aurie was a true miracle. Although, according to Martha's experience as a physician, it was likely that Gwen had become pregnant numerous times, and had miscarried extremely early on, due to the harsher lifestyle of the sixth century.

Technological and medical advances now allowed the former to queen to find out much earlier, and with more certainty. This also meant she had a much greater chance of carrying the child to term.

He nearly fainted again, when he had accompanied his wife to an appointment, and the person had placed a wand of some sort on Guinevere's stomach.

_A machine in front of the technician displayed a grainy, black and white image, while a speaker, at first, made a whooshing sound._

_Then, the image settled on a bean-shaped form, surrounded by a darker circle. A fast, thumping sound accompanied it._

" _There he, or she, is!_ _It's too early to determine the sex yet, but the heartbeat is strong, and so far everything looks good."_

" _Wait..." Arthur blinked, hardly able to wrap his mind around what the woman had just said. "That's...the baby?"_

_Guinevere had squealed at the realization and Arthur sat in stunned silence. Tears of joy and regret, that he_ _hadn't been able to experience this with Aurelainus, had escaped his eyes._

The former King of Camelot couldn't imagine a more perfect life. Yet, he still was restless. He wanted to hunt, but that was considered a sport, and regulated with licensing and other such bureaucratic nonsense. When he was king, he was the one who imposed the laws. Now, he had no such control. Even though Merlin had given Arthur the deeds to the land, the warlock still frowned when Arthur suggested hunting in the nearby forests.

He wanted to fight, but as of yet, unless he planned to accompany Leon, there was no real enemy to battle. They couldn't yet fight the Priors on even ground, and in truth, didn't have enough information to even make it plausible. There were still the Goa'uld, but Arthur didn't relish in the idea of becoming a sort of vigilante against an already defeated race. The Lucian Alliance was barely skirting around the edges of war with the people from the Stargate Command. Anything Arthur and his knights might have done, could tip the precarious balance into a full-blown conflict.

Percival and Mickey had tried to convince him to give Torchwood a try, but Arthur wasn't as adept with the newer weapons as they were...and he found out that carrying a broadsword, or even a crossbow, around only served to make him look like an idiot in modern society, more than anything else.

So, he was stuck. Twiddling his thumbs; trying to keep busy with mundane activities...no matter how much he enjoyed his family and freedom from responsibility. Arthur was feeling the first signs of depression, that he was no longer be the complete man, he once was.

Gwen was walking with their son, back over to the picnic spread Harri had pressed into Arthur's hands earlier that day, when something on a hill overlooking the manor, caught his eye.

Arthur turned to see a blurred figure resembling Merlin on top of it. At first, he thought his eyes were playing tricks on him. Merlin had gone over to Colorado, at Gwaine's insistence, to meet with some aliens. The warlock wasn't due back for at least a week. Arthur motioned with his hand for the man to come and join them, but instead the figure turned and walked away.

He walked over to where Guinevere was now feeding Aurie some applesauce, looking back over his shoulder in concern, every few steps.

"Is something wrong?"

"I could have sworn, I saw Merlin up on the hill a second ago. I think something's wrong."

Dark brown eyes looked between him and the hill. She chewed on her bottom lip. "You should go to him."

He smiled and bent to kiss her. His own restlessness had become a strain on her as well. The way she spoke, encouraging him to go, told him plainly that if he didn't go to check it out, she would have quite possibly considered smothering him with a pillow while he slept...if he slept. He imagined his active mind awake, mulling over what would have happened, if he hadn't gone.

"I love you." He whispered against her lips, before grabbing his sword, which was never far from his side, and raced off towards the rise.

Arthur reached the top of the hill and heard a sound that sent shivers coursing through him. He had a flash of regret about scaring Aurie earlier in the hedge maze, wondering if his son had felt the same hair-raising fear. Shoving the thought aside, Arthur focused on the direction of the sound...a vocalization that was deep and powerful...echoing through the hills in an ancient language.

He raced into the woods and was brought up short at the edge of a meadow. It was the same clearing where Merlin had them deposited, that first night out of the SGC.

The voice, louder and closer, called out again, but this time the power behind it faltered. Arthur saw the source.

Merlin.

His head was thrown back, as he cried out in the inhuman-sounding yell. Midway through it, Merlin's will seemed to give out and his voice cracked. The last words came out strained with emotion.

Racing across the field, Arthur managed to catch his friend, just as Merlin's knees gave out, and a guttural sob escaped his friend's throat. He didn't have any words of comfort for his companion. Things like that had never been Arthur's strong point. But, as the warlock collapsed into the strong arms, Arthur knew that even if he had the words, they would have been meaningless.

A few minutes passed and Arthur was finally able to feel slower, steadier breathing returning to his friend's body. He released Merlin and rocked back on his heels.

"I failed, Arthur." The warlock whispered so quietly, Arthur almost didn't hear him. But, the king did hear him, and the agony that slipped in between each word, shook him to his core.

"What do you mean? You are the most successful man I have ever encountered." He was having a hard time adjusting from seeing the typically strong man, of character and physique, he'd come to accept, to the broken man on the ground in front of him.

"...But, when it really counted..." Merlin wiped his nose with the back of his sleeve. He refused to meet Arthur's eyes.

"You need to quit being such an idiot. I haven't seen you like this since I returned. What the hell is up with you? You have friends, wealth, and a beautiful, intelligent wife. Well, intelligent in so far as everything, but marrying a simpleton such as yourself." He purposely tried to bait Merlin into giving him something.

Merlin just sat there, looking despondent. "...And fifteen hundred years ago, I failed when it counted. I failed in my duty as a Dragon Lord. I've had this growing hole inside me for longer than I can recall. I thought it was because I lost you...the other half of me, if Kilgharrah and the druid prophecies were to be believed.

"...But, it wasn't just you. It was Aithusa."

"Yes..." Arthur said slowly. "We'd already figured out something like that, when you held my sword."

Sniffing loudly, Merlin cleared his throat, finally regaining a measure of his composure.

"I can't contact Aithusa. He's not on Earth, and I don't have any answers as to why, or what I should do about it."

The depth of his friend's voice, caught Arthur by surprise. He only recollected a handful of times when Merlin had spoken with such a foreboding tone. It sent a chill, unrelated to the cool air, up his spine. "I thought that was why you had gone with Gwaine through that Gate thing...to learn about this stuff?"

"It was."

"...And?" Arthur prompted.

If Merlin's face was anything to go by, Arthur was able to see his friend welcoming the deviation from his tumultuous thoughts. "The Furling race is a symbiotic people, made up of not only the dragons, but the Dragon Lords, as well. When my father died, he believed there was only one dragon left: Kilgharrah. He was able to somehow transfer his bond to me, which is why he died. If he had maintained the bond, he would have been able to heal from the wound."

Merlin drew a breath, only slightly less ragged than before, but still filled with regret. "When I called Aithusa from the egg, as was my birthright, my bond with Kilgharrah began to weaken. In Ismere, I saw Aithusa again for the first time. When I told him to flee...it was essentially my first time commanding him, and reinforcing the bond.

"I think the reason Kilgharrah never told me to do that in the first place, was that he knew he would die without our bond, and he hoped to live long enough to continue to guide me.

"...But the reason Aithusa was probably so sick, was because there was virtually nothing connecting him to...me."

"What could you have done?"

Merlin shook his head. "Nothing...something...I don't know. Kilgharrah started dying at that same moment, once my connection to him weakened further. At Camlann, I put the full force of my power into sending Aithusa away. It sealed my bond with him, and completely severed the one I had with Kilgharrah. Because he was already sick...that's when the emptiness inside me began to take seed.

"There is so much I never knew. My own ignorance failed them both...and according to Lya, the Nox I met with, wherever Aithusa is, he's dying...and..." Merlin turned away and stared off into the distance. Afternoon clouds began filling the sky, thwarting the sunshine that had dominated most of the unusually pleasant morning.

"...And what?"

"Nothing, Arthur." Abruptly, Merlin pushed himself off the ground, and began walking back towards the manor.

Arthur moved alongside him. "We're not done with this conversation."

"Yes. We are." Merlin stated with finality.

The former king covered a snorting sound. Despite the protest, Arthur was determined to find out what was going on with his friend. For months, Merlin had proven himself to be such a strong man, in both spirit and body. When he was talking about the dragons, however, Arthur began to see chinks in his friend's mental armor. It was rather easy, albeit disheartening, to make the small leap to what Merlin might have said next. It was a scenario Arthur wasn't about to acknowledge for the time being. He grabbed Merlin's shoulder and spun him around. Forcing the warlock to look him in the eyes, Arthur asked, "What do you want me to do?"

Merlin shook his head, indicating there was nothing Arthur was able to do.

"Come on, Merlin, think! There must be something...somewhere...that has an answer! What about all those books you have...or something down in the vaults? Maybe if those faerie things are related to the Priors, like you believe...maybe they've been to outer space and have some connections...or we could call Leon. I heard he and Percival got back today..."

Cocking his head to the side, Merlin held up his hand. Arthur saw a thought forming behind the stormy blue eyes of his friend.


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter Three:**

* * *

  
The house was quiet, almost too quiet, but she knew it wasn't going to matter soon.

 

She pulled out two wine glasses and filled them with a deep red merlot. After setting them on the coffee table, she turned on some music and pulled out a small, square wrapper from her pocket, placing it next to the wine. It had been almost three weeks since his last visit, and Laney was beginning to feel antsy. She didn’t quite grasp how she had abstained for nearly five years, before she met him.

 

After her divorce, she had sworn off any type of romantic entanglement, preferring to focus on raising her boys and taking care of her grandfather. When her brother came back into the picture, it took a huge weight off her shoulders. She missed Boyd, though she would be reluctant to admit it to anyone.

 

Finally, she sat down on the couch with a sigh of contentment. Gwaine was off at work, taking Merlin through the Stargate, and was to be gone at least a couple of days. The boys were spending spring break with their dad and his new wife. Now, all she had to do was wait for her lover to arrive.

She cringed at the thought of calling him ‘her lover.’ What they had wasn’t love, at all. It was purely a physical desire, without any messy emotions getting in the way.

 

She heard the telltale sound of the transporter beam. Her lips quirked up, and she sipped her wine casually. His footfalls from the kitchen sent shivers coursing through her. Brown eyes lifted to meet his handsome gray-blue depths. “Wine?” She offered.

 

“Maybe later.” Leon’s voice was husky and sensuous. He took her glass out of her hand and set it on the table. His mouth moved under the blond mustache and scruff of a beard, lifting into a seductive smile.

* * *

 

Gwaine cut the engine of the Scout, and climbed out, backpack in hand. He hopped the steps on the front porch, two at a time, and was just about to grab the door handle, when he heard a scream. Dropping the bag, he dug through it for his sidearm. Checking the clip, and cocking the slide, he held the gun loosely.

 

Listening, he heard the sounds of what could have been a struggle coming from beyond the door. His sister sounded like she was in pain.

 

Barging through the door, he whipped his pistol up and swept it around, searching for the danger.

 

Gwaine’s eyes shot wide open when he realized the situation. “FRACKING HELL, ELAINE!”

 

He squeezed his eyes shut and backed out the door, slamming it shut behind him.

 

Glancing down at the gun in his hand, he debated going back inside and using it, but he controlled his anger...and repulsion. After clearing the chamber, he clicked the safety back on and tossed it into his bag. Walking across the porch, he sank to the steps, with his head in his hands.

 

A few minutes later, he heard the door behind him open and someone come out onto the porch.

 

Cringing, he chanced a glance behind him, and saw his sister approach.

 

She held out a glass of wine, as a peace offering.

 

He accepted it, and took a sip. “Where’s Leon?”

 

“Went up to take a shower, so we could talk. You...uh, weren’t supposed to be home until tomorrow, at the earliest.”

 

“Plans change.”

 

“Yeah, they do.”

 

“I...kind of suspected something like this was going on for a while now.”

 

She shrugged, “I’ve kind of suspected something between you and Dr. Lam.”

 

He chuckled, thinking of the petite doctor. “I like her...a lot.”

 

Nodding, she reached for the glass. He handed it over and she took a drink.

 

“What about you guys? What’s that all about?”

 

Laney shook her head. “Not much to it...just some...stress relief.”

 

His face showed his disbelief.

 

“Seriously, Gwaine! I have had enough of relationships. I just...needed something, and he...god, he’s the first man, who isn’t a total sleaze, and who actually looks at me like I was still worth something.”

 

“You are worth something!” He argued.

 

“I mean, something more than just a mom, or a sister. Did you know Randy wasn’t even planned? I wouldn’t trade him for the world, but he was the accidental result of one last weekend to try and save my dying marriage, after we moved to Wyoming and I started taking care of Boyd. My ex actually blamed me, accused me of doing it on purpose!”

 

“You have known for years what I think of that jerk. Um...You and Leon...”

 

“...Are being extra, damn careful.” She said briskly. “Between us...It’s...Shit, I don’t care if we’re just using each other for sex. Its damn nice to know I’m still desirable that way.”

Gwaine sighed. He really didn’t want to hear about his sister’s love life, although he was happy that she had finally gotten some validation. He looked around to make certain Leon wasn’t anywhere nearby. Lowering his voice, he told her his true concern. “I...I knew Leon...who he was, back then. He was like a big brother to me...to us all...teaching us how to be Knights of Camelot. It wasn’t just Arthur...Merlin brought us together. Arthur inspired us all, but it was Leon who really molded us into knights.

 

“He was married back then...had a few kids of his own. I don’t even know how many. I met his wife a couple of times at feasts. She was a feisty red-head from Scotland. I know he loved his family...but he lived and breathed for Camelot. I look into his eyes now, and I can see he didn’t weather the years as well as Merlin.

 

“Ol’ Grandpa Merlin...even when he was younger than me, there was always a fire deep inside him. He went through hell, and I can’t even begin to imagine the things he’s seen or done. He was stuck on Earth and made the most of his years. Leon, on the other hand, had the whole galaxy and...He’s a broken man, compared to the one I knew. He doesn’t have that passion he used to. Leon has learned how to survive.”

 

Laney hummed in agreement. “Which is why, I don’t plan on making it into anything more. I have enough of my own baggage. I don’t need to be taking on his fifteen centuries of it.”

 

“That’s what I’m worried about, ‘Lane. What if, with everyone coming back together, he does get emotional about it, without meaning too...just because he hasn’t had it? What’re you gonna do if that happens? I know you can take care of yourself, but what’s going to happen with him? I don’t want to be stuck in the middle of that shit storm. Having to try and remain a brother to him...but not get into it with you, like what happened before, or worse.”

 

She stiffened next to her brother. “Oh...”

 

“Yeah.” He disentangled his arm from his sister’s and wrapped it around her shoulders. “I’m glad we got to patch things up between us, ya know? If something does happen, you know I’ll be there for you this time, right? You and the boys. I finally have my priorities straight, after all I went through.”

 

“I’ll break it off with him if you want me to.” She offered, brushing her russet hair out of her face.

 

“Naw. He can take care of himself. I’m actually glad you’ve got someone to prove to you, that you’re still a knock-out. Just do me a favor?”

 

“What’s that?”

 

“Go to your room next time...or his ship...or something! Bloody hell! I sleep on that damn couch, sometimes!” He rolled his eyes in an exaggerated motion.

 

They sat together on the porch, watching the clouds gathering overhead. After a while, the door opened again and Leon hesitated in the doorway.

 

Laney patted her brother’s knee. “I’m going to go get dinner started for us.”

 

He nodded and let her go.

 

“You staying?” Gwaine heard her ask Leon. If the knight responded, it was obviously a silent movement of his head. The door closed, and Gwaine figured Leon was still standing behind him.

 

“Hey.” Leon said, sitting down on the steps next to Gwaine.

 

Gwaine responded in a clipped voice. “Hey.” Just because he’d come to an understanding with his sister, didn’t mean he had to let his friend know. He could tell Leon was trying to act more nonchalant about it, than he obviously felt.

 

“You’re back earlier than expected.”

 

“Yep.” The ‘p’ popped from Gwaine’s lips, highlighting his annoyance. “I have to say, I kinda suspected something like this was going on, between the two of you.”

 

“Mmm. Do you have a problem with it?” The question was almost a challenge.

 

Gwaine thought for a moment, before shaking his head and chuckling, “Only when I walk in on it, unexpectedly.”

 

A soft snort hid the sigh of relief that escaped Leon. “Good, because your sister thought you might have a bit more to say.”

 

“You’re both adults. Not much I can say.”

 

“She told me, something had happened once, between one of your friends and her...”

 

“Dude! That was back in college. I just like giving her shit about it now.” He patted Leon’s shoulder. “Just watch out she doesn’t break your heart or anything.”

 

“I figured you’d be warning me not to break hers.”

 

“Eh, she’s a tough, old toad.”

 

Leon stood up and held out his arm.

 

Gwaine stared at it for a few seconds, before taking it. He gave it a hearty shake. “Just...I don’t ever want to see that much...of either of you again. Capeesh?”

 

Nodding, the blond man motioned to the door. “I will just grab my things and be gone. I need to go speak with Merlin anyway.”

 

Picking up the half-empty wine glass, Gwaine drained the rest of it. “He magicked himself home, not two minutes after we arrived back through the Gate. He was in a bit of an odd mood, from whatever the Nox told him. Barely said two words to me, the whole trip back.”

 

“All three seconds of it?” Leon asked humorously.

 

“The whole way back to the Gate, not through the wormhole...smartass.”

 

The blonde chuckled, “Duly noted.”

 

“You might as well stay for dinner, since you’re already here. It’s probably middle of the night there, by now.”


	4. Chapter 4

**Chapter Four:**

**_"I've always liked the time before the dawn because there's no one around to remind me who I'm supposed to be, so it's easier to remember who I am." ~Brian Andreas "The Story People"_ **

* * *

"You should probably get some rest." A yawn seemed to surround his statement.

Arthur blinked and smirked. He wasn't the one falling asleep. "Only when you do."

"I need to figure this out first." After his breakdown outside, Merlin...true to form, even after all the centuries...pulled himself out of the funk rather quickly, and set about to finding a solution. Neither of them mentioned the breakdown, or the implications of what it meant for Merlin.

Arthur supposed that his friend would confide in him, or not, when he was ready. For now, it was at least worthwhile to be doing something to keep himself occupied. "...And I plan on assisting you. When is Martha coming back?"

"...Another two days. I was going to fly to New York and meet her, after I finished with Gwaine in Colorado. Then, we were going to fly back together...or change plans altogether and head to Jamaica, or do something, for our anniversary."

"Ah...I've seen pictures of that place. It doesn't look real, and the...lack of decency of those women is...astounding."

Merlin chuckled, "Yeah, it took me a while to adjust to the changing styles. The 60's were a real eye opener...but to see Martha in a bikini...Mmmm, now there's a beautiful sight."

Arthur guffawed loudly, "I doubt I could ever convince Guinevere to try one of those things on."

"Try on one of what things? Oh, dear god, what happened in here?" Gwen's chastising tone made both men flinch.

The two of them had been poring through books, and the library looked like it had been hit with a tornado. Neither had paid much attention the space around them. "I'll clean it up, I swear!" Merlin smiled brightly in defense. He reached over and lightly slapped Arthur's leg, when the former king started snickering. The girlish tap only made Arthur laugh harder

"Mm hmm..." She smiled patronizingly. "Now, what would I never try on?"

"A bikini." The warlock muffled under his hand.

While at the same time Arthur had said, "Nothing."

Even her coffee-colored skin tone, couldn't hide the rosiness that flooded her cheeks. "Those...things...cover less than my undergarments. There may be many things in the modern fashion I do enjoy, that will never be one of them. So, you can get that thought out of your skull right now, Arthur Pendragon." She smoothed out her shirt, over the barely discernable bump that was starting to form. "Well, I just came in to see if either of you would like something to eat."

Arthur smiled up at her from the pile of books that surrounded him. His eyes following her hands with fascination. "That would be wonderful!"

Gwen practically glowed under her husband's gaze. The recent pregnancy was already so different from Aurie's. "Merlin?"

"Yes, please...and thank you." The warlock responded politely. He smirked haughtily at Arthur, as if showing off his etiquette skill. He ducked the shoe Arthur had taken off to throw at his head, before Merlin stuffed his nose into yet another large, leather-bound tome.

After she left, Merlin carelessly tossed the book, which many book aficionados would classify as priceless, to the side. "There is nothing useful in any of these." The level of frustration was clear.

"Alright, let's start from the beginning, shall we?" Arthur offered. He took Merlin's silence as acceptance of the plan. "From what the...Nicks..."

"Nox."

"...Right, Nox...said, the Ancients came to Earth, and brought the dragons here, to escape the Ori. That was..."

"...thousands of years ago."

"Right. Somehow my father, from what you've said, was able to kill off most of the dragons, and now we have a clue that it was because they were bonded with the Dragon Lords."

"In his arrogance he made the mistake of capturing the last dragon, and thanks to Gaius, lost my father in the process, so he couldn't kill Kilgharrah. Balinor fled first to Ealdor, then later, to the area we found him."

Arthur picked up the conversation thread again. "But instead of just dying like a normal man, or being more resilient, because of his...whatever it was, symbosises thing...He broke his bond and passed his gift onto you."

"Which was the bond I initially had with Kilgharrah. The Nox told me that there are two ways a child of a Dragon Lord could gain their powers. Either by the bond being passed on, as Balinor did, or by coming of age and summoning a dragon from the egg. Since I experienced both, the egg was the more natural, because my father's bond with Kilgharrah already was over a thousand years old. Therefore, for me, the egg took precedence, ultimately dooming Kilgharrah."

The two of them speculated for a while, until Gwen appeared with a late supper for them both. After another look around at the chaotic state of the room, she excused herself to a less cluttered part of the manor.

They ate in silence, two sets of blue eyes, skimming through yellowed pages of the old books.

Arthur grinned slightly, when Merlin's eyes began to flutter. They soon closed, and the warlocks body slumped over slightly.

He allowed his friend a few moments to settle into his nap. Old habits were hard to break though, and he wasn't about to let Merlin get in a decent bout of sleep. Soon, he was snapping his fingers in front of Merlin's face. "Earth to Merlin..."

"What?" The warlock startled awake, scattering the books in front of him, and tipping over a couple of precariously stacked piles.

"Exactly. Where did you go, just now?"

Merlin shook his head, feeling the exhaustion setting into his old bones. "I was remembering when I first told Kilgharrah about the dragon egg. I wonder why he allowed me to summon Aithusa, if he knew it would cause his death?"

"Well, you said he was over a thousand years old, right?

"Yes..."

"What if he was born, or hatched, here, and had no knowledge of it. I mean you're over a thousand years old, and still an idiot."

Merlin chose to ignore Arthur's jab. "It's possible...and if he didn't know, maybe my father didn't either."

"Or your father just assumed he would be saving both of you. He didn't know about the egg, correct?"

Shaking his head, Merlin rubbed at his eyes. "None of this gets me any closer to where Aithusa might be, though!"

"We'll find her...him...it..." He sneered and rolled his eyes, seeing Merlin attempting to stifle a snicker. "We will find your dragon." The unspoken words hung between them like a darkened mirror, neither were willing to look into just yet.

"We're not going to find anything in these books."

"Where do you suggest we look then?" Arthur asked, gratefully setting aside the tome he'd barely begun to look at. His eyes followed Merlin's to the floor in a silent recommendation. Shrugging, both men stood up and left the library.

* * *

 

The basement of the manor was cool and damp. It appeared much older than the rest of the house, which Merlin had explained on a previous expedition into the depths, that it actually was. He'd made certain, when the foundation was laid for the current residence, it was directly over the old armory. The warlock went into detail about how he'd manage to find the ruins of the old castle, and seal off all the entrances to, and from, the vaults and dungeons below...making certain that none of the items stored below would be disturbed.

He had mentioned something about the curses on the tombs in Egypt, but most of the talk of magical enchantments went far over Arthur's head. Along a far wall, was a set of shelves with years of dust and cobwebs so thick that Arthur couldn't begin to describe what anything was.

Merlin didn't use words to open the wall. The only change in the warlock, was the telltale glow of his eyes. The entire set of shelves swung inward to reveal stairs that Arthur remembered. Each time he entered the descending corridor, it took a few moments for his mind to adjust to the difference in his memory to the scene before him.

Timidly at first, the king had stepped down onto the first stair. He pulled out the modern torch Merlin had given him, and the bright beam lit up the hallway. Large sections along the descending path were patched with stone of a different color and texture than the walls around them. Arthur could vaguely make out that they were the old widows that used to allow sunlight to stream into the stairway.

They had passed the armory first. The iron-clad wooden doors were just a memory now. The armor and weapons within had crumbled to dust over the passage of time. Arthur recalled how the room used to be only half-way below ground level in his time. Window wells, set high in the walls near the ceiling, resembled the stoned-up windows in the stairs. It was yet another indication of how much time had passed.

He had inquired about it, the first time Merlin brought him through here.

_"I may be powerful, but even I can't stop nature entirely...just slow it down a bit. Even then, the upkeep on the spells that would have been required...Well, let's just say, I'd never have been able to leave this place." Merlin had explained._

_"...But you said the vaults are still intact?"_

_"Mostly...Magical items, and things like gems, and gold, and such...they don't deteriorate like iron, wood, and steel do." He'd responded with a shrug._

The two men had spent days on end through the winter months, going through the vaults, searching for different items. Over the centuries, the warlock had collected nearly every relic he could find...whether from the druids, or other more distant cultures...that held magical properties. The place was the epitome of disorganization, and Arthur couldn't help but comment.

_"You still have never learned how to clean your room. Poor Martha. Does she know what a pig you really are?"_

Arthur was becoming more accustomed to the explorations below. He had found not only the vaults, but also the tombs. He was shocked at how the stone sarcophagi had remained intact. The former king had spent nearly an entire day, simply staring at his father's visage carved on the lid of the stone coffin. With that discovery, Arthur had demanded to know everything about Merlin's use of magic in Camelot. Which, in turn, led to heartbreaking conversations about his father's Great Purge, and the entire reason for the laws against magic in the first place.

It had taken some time, but Arthur finally was coming to terms with it all.

While the rest of the visits had been for fun, more or less, this time Merlin strode down the stairs with a clear purpose on his mind.

"Any idea what we should be looking for?"

"The same thing we've been looking for: Answers...and that damn Sidhe staff." Merlin closed his eyes. He extended his arms outward, preparing to cast some magic that would enhance their search. The sound of something falling nearby, broke his concentration. "Arthur...please..."

"It wasn't me." The blond man said seriously. Arthur swung his flashlight over towards the source of the clatter. He blinked and shook his head. Visions of glowing red eyes and a sensation of drowning suddenly engulfed him when he saw the staff.

The smooth wooden staff appeared almost alive, in the dim light of the torch. The grain seemed to come alive with an inner fire. The blue gem at the head of the staff seemed to undulate like waves under the surface of its hard outer shell.

He'd swallowed down what felt like a stone that had caught in his throat. "Merlin, look."

Merlin saw the staff. "I wonder..." He mumbled to himself. Grabbing it up without questioning where it had suddenly appeared from, Merlin sprinted out of the vaults.

Arthur raced after his friend. It was an odd sensation to be following Merlin like he was. He felt no small amount of trepidation, instinctively knowing the warlock was on a mission. He wondered briefly if this was how Merlin had seen the world, first chasing around after a foolhardy prince, then a determined king.

They made their way to the stables. Arthur didn't question, as he would have before. Not to say he didn't want to, but something inside him kept his tongue still. They saddled up their horses and rode out. It was approximately two hours before sunrise, when Merlin stopped his horse, and tied it off to a tree at the edge of a meadow. It was only then, that the warlock finally realized Arthur was still behind him.

"Are you following me?"

"Someone has to keep you out of trouble." Arthur dismounted and mimicked his friend in tying up the horse.

"I suppose I'll have to slow down for this next part then. So you can keep up."

Arthur glowered, "Where the hell are we going?"

"There's a lakeshore, just over the rise." Merlin paused, his mind drifted off. It was a couple minutes before he spoke again. "It's the lake where I..."

"You can say it. The place where you put my body."

"Yeah. Although, that was on the other side. I brought my first love here...the first girl I kissed. Well, second if you count Gwen." Before Arthur could question, Merlin continued, "I also brought Lancelot. Then, later..." Arthur could hear the hitch in Merlin's throat. "...Gwen and Aurie."

Questions formed on Arthur's tongue; thick like the coffee he'd come to enjoy in the mornings. He stared off into the shadows. "Everyone seems to have returned, except Lancelot."

Merlin shrugged, as he removed the staff from behind the saddle. "He's been around."

"Really? How? Why didn't you tell me?"

"I didn't know how you'd react. Besides, it's not like he's around the way the others are. You know how Gwaine and I have talked about the Ascended and all that?"

Arthur nodded. Merlin moved off into the the forest, staff in hand, leaving his companion to follow and listen...if he chose to.

"After Lancelot stepped through the Veil, he was granted that...existence."

"What about when he returned?"

Merlin had to think about that for a moment, flashing back to the conversation he'd had with Dr. Jackson, months before. "That wasn't really him, not completely, anyway. It was his Shade, summoned by Morgana and manipulated by your uncle."

Arthur, although reluctant, still asked, "...And Guinevere?"

"Probably some type of enchantment on her, as well. I never really got a chance to look into it." Merlin rolled his eyes at the look on Arthur's face. He began to explain what he could remember of the situation, and also how Lancelot was still...technically...around. Merlin motioned to the staff, indicating that he felt it was their ghostly friend.

They had reached the edge of the lake. It felt surreal to Arthur. He couldn't recall having made it to the edge of the lake the first time. Gaius' voice came back to him, telling him about the lake, but that was all he could remember.

What bothered him most, was that he knew the entire area, like the back of his hand...or at least he used to...and he never recalled a lake being so close to the Camelot where he grew up.

Dark clouds in the sky above kept back what would have normally been pre-dawn twilight. Merlin's mood had lifted slightly, once Arthur had finally got him talking. Now, they were just standing in silence.

Arthur pulled his coat, a warm wool jacket, lined with satin, that hung to nearly to his knees, tighter around him. Percival was right, he thought. The modern clothing of this century was much more comfortable than any of his previous clothing had been. It was also warmer, but not warm enough to keep the chill at bay entirely, in the cloudy, drizzling night.

The former king's cheeks expanded as he blew into his hands, then rubbed them together to keep his circulation flowing. Merlin was currently sitting on the edge, in meditation.

"Want to tell me what we're doing here?" Arthur questioned after a while.

"The Sidhe used to live here. I want to get some answers."

Merlin offered his friend a goofy smile, though Arthur could tell it was a bit forced. He reached out and placed his hand on Arthur's shoulder, at the same time the fiery glow of magic filled the warlock's eyes.

The blond man blinked as time changed around them. It felt as if he were suddenly between worlds. The leaves of the trees, just beginning to unravel with the spring, moved slowly, gracefully. The ripples across the top of the water undulated unnaturally.

Merlin picked up the staff and planted it at the water's edge. He called out in the Old Language, using the power within the slender piece of wood to amplify his voice.

Nothing happened. There was no change discernible at all, as far as Arthur could tell.

Gripping the shaft tighter, Merlin spoke again, this time with more force.

Even the trees barely moved. "Not them too..." Merlin whispered, putting a voice to his fear that there might not be anyone left for him to ask.

Out of the stillness, Merlin's hand suddenly shot up in front of Arthur's face. The blond man was about to protest, when he noticed an ugly, pink tendril, covered with a dripping, slimy substance, wrapped around Merlin's palm.

Merlin jerked on it, and hauled the creature it was attached to, out of the nearby bushes. It was probably the ugliest thing the former king had ever laid eyes upon. He looked at his friend. His face was twisted in a sneer of disgust, and a question filled his eyes.

"Pixie." Merlin responded, letting go of the tongue, and shaking his hand to rid himself of the sticky saliva on it. He stared at the creature. It had salmon colored skin, which was covered with black moles, and a nose longer than his hand. The ears were even longer, and more pointy. It hunched over, appearing more like an awkward toad than a human. "Where are your masters?"

"Gone." It hissed out in a slithering voice. "Long gone."

Arthur had drawn his sword, and was slowly stalking towards the creature. Merlin made no move to stop him. "Gone where?"

Human-like eyes darted back and forth between the two men.

"If you try to run or disappear, I will freeze you with my magic and let Arthur have some fun. The king hasn't had a person or creature to kill in a long, long time.

Arthur didn't look back at his companion. A feral smile covered his face, as he advanced and twirled his sword lightly in his hand.

The pixie visibly shivered in fear. "The magic that kept them here disappeared, nearly a year ago. When the humans found Avalon and Merlin's Treasure, they broke the curse Merlin placed on them to keep them from leaving."

Merlin stood there, blinking rapidly. "Uh...What?"

Arthur snorted, "Nice going, you big buffoon."

"It wasn't me!" Merlin protested.

"You're not Merlin." The creature snickered.

Rolling his eyes, Arthur responded, "Yes...he is."

"No..." The pixie was just as determined as Arthur, to be right. "Merlin was much older."

"He's older than he looks."

"He's still not that old."

"Listen you disgusting waste of breath, that is Merlin."

"You're a fool to believe that."

"I am the King of Camelot!"

"Oh-ho! Delusional ta-boot!"

Arthur raised his sword and pointed it at the creature's throat.

Without warning, the pixie sailed through the air and crashed into a tree. Arthur spun to see the glow fading from his friend's eyes. Power rolled off Merlin in waves, and his face was set in locked determination.

"Who was Merlin?" The warlock demanded in a deep, quiet voice. The undertone was laced with promises of pain, if the pixie didn't give the right answer.

Trembling at the base of the tree, and grasping a wrist that was now turned in an unnatural direction, the pixie hissed, "He was also called Myrrdin. He was a great magician from the stars, who brought the last of the dragons to this land over eight-thousand years ago. The Sidhe followed him and began hunting them. We helped them, they were good to the Changelings and gave us pixie dust and treasure. Merlin found out and trapped them with his magic to the lake...but we could sometimes help them escape."

"Why did the Sidhe want Camelot?" Arthur asked. Merlin had filled him in on how first Sophia, and later Elena, were both connected to the Sidhe.

"Uther betrayed them...as he betrayed all of the Fae."

A shared look between Merlin and Arthur showed similar trains of thought. "Of course, he did," grumbled Arthur. After all that had come to the forefront concerning Uther's Great Purge against magic, it didn't actually surprise either of them. "How did he betray them?"

"They gave him the knowledge and the means to kill the dragons, since my masters couldn't leave the lake with enough power to do it themselves. But Uther trapped one...the purpose for their creation was incomplete. They needed Camelot for themselves to ensure the Hallowed ones they served would be pleased with them."

"Hallowed," huffed Merlin.

Arthur cocked an eyebrow at his friend.

"'Hallowed are the Ori.' It's something from that book Leon gave me. The one from the Priors who carry staves similar to this."

"Ah...a dragon staff..." The creature purred, finally acknowledging the weapon.

"What did you call this?"

Melodramatically swallowing, the pixie sank back, trying to meld itself with the tree. "Not supposed to speak of that."

Gripping the shaft tightly, Merlin swung it to bear upon the pixie.

Arthur chuckled and turned back to the creature. "If it were up to me, I'd simply threaten to run you through with my sword. My friend, on the other hand, he's been around a bit longer and has learned more...creative methods of extracting information." He doubted that Merlin had the resolve or ability to distance himself from his conscience to be an effective interrogator. However, the pixie didn't know that. The ice cold stare from Merlin was enough to make the creature believe it. "Tell us all you know."

* * *

 

The sun had risen, and begun to burn off the clouds. Steam and fog rose from the ground. Merlin's eyes kept drifting towards the sky and Arthur kept nudging him verbally, to come back down to Earth.

When they reached the stables, they handed off the horses to a young man who came to clean and feed the horses each morning, before moving inside the manor.

Their stomachs grumbled as they entered the kitchen, and caught the aroma of sausages and coffee. It had been at least two full days since Merlin had slept properly. He mused for a moment, wondering if coffee was the best thing for him at the moment, or if a shower and sleep would be the better option. When he saw the Three Musketeers...a nickname he'd begun using for Leon, Percival, and Mickey...sitting in the kitchen with Gwen and Aurie, he realized the choice had been made for him. He smiled tiredly, setting the Sidhe staff on the counter in front of the window, as he searched for a cup.

The last few days had been an overload of events and information. First of all, was seeing Gwaine again, and celebrating the first anniversary of his return to the modern world.

After their night of celebration, they had woken early the next morning, and Gwaine had taken Merlin to his favorite jogging trails. The sunrise alone, made the trip worth it. Following the run, they had gone to the Base, and Merlin was inundated with all the information and protocols for going through the Stargate.

He'd stayed the night at Gwaine's, but had barely slept. His excitement at the upcoming adventure, had kept him awake. He couldn't recall the last time he had felt so giddy...probably the first time he was going to test fly a jet engine-powered aircraft, or something. Whenever it was, it was a rare thing.

He hadn't been disappointed. The three point two seconds of wormhole travel was an adrenaline rush he wouldn't soon forget. Then, they had met Lya of the Nox.

Merlin had been so overwhelmed with everything he'd learned, and was already feeling rather guilty about his own lack of knowledge, that he had transitioned into a bit of a bitter mood, upon their early return to the SGC. The roller coaster of emotions was something he hadn't dealt with for centuries. He was silently thankful that Arthur was with him during what seemed to be the worst of it.

"What's up?" Arthur's voice broke through Merlin's introspection. The former king was giving him a concerned look.

"Hmm? What?"

"I asked you first."

"What do you think I'm thinking about?" The warlock gave his companion a look of incredulity.

Arthur knew exactly what was on Merlin's mind. It was the final piece of information they had dragged out of the pixie before letting it go. If the creature was to be believed...the Sidhe had sent Aithusa on a wild goose chase to the stars, the very day after Merlin had last seen him...nearly fourteen centuries ago. With such a massive head start, finding the dragon was going to be nearly impossible.

The others had smiles on their faces initially, but even they were silenced. Merlin blinked. He reasoned that sometime during his musings, he'd missed the greetings between Arthur and the others.

He saw Arthur shifting on his feet, apprehensive about saying what was really on his mind.

"How long?" Arthur asked, finally giving voice to the question that had been wondering about since Merlin's breakdown, when he wasn't able to call Aithusa the day before.

Merlin closed his eyes and set the steaming mug he had just poured, on the counter. It was the question he didn't want to answer. It hung over his head like an axe waiting to drop. He thought about that analogy. It wasn't too far off from the truth.

He had learned so much from the Nox about himself, about his people. It scared him, if he was to be honest with himself. Lya and her people didn't know where the Furling race had come from exactly, except that it was a place in the galaxy the Alterans once lived...and the Ori. Somehow, the dragons, a space-dwelling race, had been caught between them in the war that followed. Both had found a way to harness some of the natural abilities of the dragons, including it seemed, the ability to summon wormholes in space.

This gave birth to the Alterans building the first of the Stargates. The Ori wanted to be able to create the magic without the use of the large rings made of Naquada. They had found a way to genetically manipulate the dragons, and they bound them to the Ori.

Something had happened though, around the time the Ori had begun to ascend, and the dragon powers didn't transition. So, they began to bind the dragons to the souls of the lesser humans they ruled over, giving them a few of the god-like powers. That was hundreds of thousands, if not millions, of years ago...long after the Alterans had fled to the Milky Way, and then later, to the Pegasus Galaxy.

Somewhere in that time, although Merlin hadn't a clue when, the dragons and the beings they were bound to, had become their own race. They began to rebel against the Ori, who had found a new way to feed off the energies of their worshippers. Lya wasn't certain how, as there were no actual records from that time.

Approximately ten thousand years ago, the dragons and their counterparts were nearly wiped out. If it hadn't been for a few of the Alterans, who had discovered what was happening in the Ori's galaxy, Celestis. Through cloning, the Alterans had managed to extend their own lifetimes, and used their own lengthy existence to assist what remained of the dragons. They brought them to the Milky Way and introduced them to the Nox and the Asgard.

The Great Alliance was formed. When asked, for recording purposes, what they were called, they didn't have a name. It was the former High Councilor of Atlantis, an Alteran named Moros, who had dubbed them the 'Furlings'...as a sort of joke. The name had stuck.

There were less than one hundred of them, who had managed to escape. As far as they knew, they were all that remained. The Alterans, who had long since left Earth for Atlantis, before they began their journey of enlightenment, had thought that it would be a perfect place for them.

Moros, who the Furlings had begun to call Merlin for reasons completely unknown, had also discovered creatures that the Ori had sent out across the universe to find the remaining Furlings.

These, Merlin and Arthur had recently found out, were the Sidhe. Much like the current Priors, they served the Ori...but from what they learned from the pixie, they had a specific mission...either alert their masters, or destroy anything that had to do with the dragons.

The fact Merlin shared a name with the man, was not lost on the warlock. He briefly allowed his mind to wonder on that aspect. Then, he dismissed the thought as coincidence, and brought his thoughts back to the more pressing issue.

Aithusa had been an easy target for them; completely unaware of his heritage, and...according to the pixie...seeking help for a dead, human woman. The Sidhe had, at first, tried to contact the Ori. Thinking the woman to be the Dragon Lord, they had kept her body safe, much like Moros had done with Arthur...although, with magic of their masters instead of the technology. For one hundred years, they had led Aithusa on...until Merlin's final argument with the dragon, on the shore of the lake.

Sometime after Merlin had left, Aithusa had returned. The Sidhe, having given up on contacting the Ori, through the barrier Moros had left, deviously told Aithusa where to take his mistresses' body...deep into space...to a place far out in the stars.

Unfortunately, neither the pixie, nor the Nox had any idea where...and that was only part of what was on Merlin's mind.

The other part had to do with the bond itself. Now that he knew what to feel for, Merlin could tell wherever the dragon was, he was in pain, and dying. This he knew from having seen the threads. The bond gave them a vitality and natural healing against many things, but they needed to be together for it to really work. Together, a pair could live for around two thousand years or more; without it...Merlin realized he'd been lucky to survive as long as he had.

"How long, Merlin?" Arthur asked again, pushing past a frog in his throat.

Merlin opened his eyes and took a drink of his coffee. He shrugged nonchalantly. With a shake of his head, he ignored the others in the room, and told Arthur plainly. "According to Lya, if Aithusa dies...maybe five...ten years. Could be worse though, right?"

Arthur stood, flabbergasted by the casual tone in Merlin's voice.

"Five or ten years for what?" The hesitance to disrupt the conversation was evident in Gwen's voice.

Draining his cup, Merlin gave her a lopsided grin. "Don't worry about it. I'm going to go take a shower, and try to catch a nap." He said in a cheery voice, before he made his way out of the kitchen.


	5. Chapter 5

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter was a fun bit I wrote just for the Gwaine fangirls. It coincides with episode 918 "Arthur's Mantle" in the Stargate SG-1 series.

**  
Chapter Five:**

* * *

Gwaine's fingers tried to find purchase against the tiled wall of the shower stall. Steaming, hot water cascaded down his muscled shoulders as they flexed and trembled, straining to keep himself standing. The sensations throughout his body were almost too much to bear.

A primal growl started deep in his throat. He bit his lip to keep it as quiet as possible. The last thing he needed was for someone to come into the shower area of the locker room and catch him. His career as a Marine Officer was already resting on a fine line. If he was caught...it would be dead.

Suddenly, his senses came alert, and he instinctively went silent. One of his hands moved off the wall and down, out of sight. He stiffened...waiting for the inevitable to happen. He strained to hear anything out of the ordinary. The door to the locker room remained closed. There was no indication anyone had come in.

Gwaine waited. A sixth sense, ingrained into his subconscious from years of battles, told him someone was there...but he couldn't find anything to confirm it.

"I think you are just being paranoid."

Gwaine released his breath and allowed himself to relax a little bit. "You're probably right..." He reluctantly admitted. He found his breath taken away as Carolyn began softly kissing the light scattering of curls across his chest, while her hands rubbed the soap-filled loofa over his back.

He cast a lecherous smile down at the petite, little brunette hiding in the shower with him. His hand moved off her shoulder, where he had placed it as a warning, when he had thought he heard something. He threaded his fingers through her wet hair, pulling her face towards him.

A voice over the intercom system interrupted their kiss, as Dr. Lam was paged to the infirmary.

"Never a break." Gwaine muttered.

"Looks like you might have to turn on the cold water. Sorry." She apologized and ducked under his arm, grabbing a towel while she exited the shower.

* * *

 

Cameron Mitchell groaned and covered his eyes, as he avoided watching the Base Doctor wrapped in a towel. She thankfully got dressed quickly.

He peeked at Gwaine through the spaces of his fingers. Looking at his friend, not the Doc, to see his buddy's eyes following the dark-haired woman.

"Are we still on for Saturday?" Lam asked, pulling her hair back into a ponytail and shrugging into her lab coat.

"Yes, ma'am. Pick you up at seven?" He smirked when she nodded. Biting his lip, he watched her sneak out of the locker room.

"Dude! You're bringing her bowling with us? Come on!" Cameron shouted, though he knew his friend couldn't hear him.

A device built by Moros, and recovered from the caves under Avalon, called 'Arthur's Mantle,' had caused both Mitchell and Sam Carter to be stuck in a slightly altered dimension, just out of phase with the rest of reality. He had been looking for Jackson to try and get the archaeologist's help.

At one point, years prior, Daniel had experienced something similar. It was Sam's suggestion that perhaps Daniel might hav been still attuned to the shift, and be able to see them. While Sam went to look in some of the labs and offices, Mitchell took other areas...like the Men's Locker Room.

"Dallon, I don't know what's going through your head...or Lam's...but, if you guys were caught in here...I mean, she's the General's daughter! What if someone found out? You would both be up shit creek, but you, especially!"

Gwaine made a sputtering sound against the now cold water, as he ducked his head under the cascade one last time. Shutting off the water, he threw open the curtain. Mitchell got more visual information than he cared to see. He rolled his eyes, and flopped backwards on one of the benches.

"Frack, man...Put a towel on...or something."

Pausing, Gwaine's eyes narrowed, and his brow furrowed. He picked up a towel and slowly wrapped it around his waist. Through the slits of his eyelids, he once again looked around. "Hello?" He called out suspiciously. "Anyone there?"

"Dude, YES!" Cameron jumped up. "Can you hear me? Something? Man, this sucks. YO, DALLON!" Mitchell frantically waved his arms in front of Gwaine's face.

After a moment, Gwaine shook his head and went to his locker.

The main door opened, and Mooney's voice called through the room. "Dallon, you in here?"

"Yeah." Gwaine responded, pulling out his uniform.

"Get geared up. We're briefing in the Gate Room in fifteen." The Lieutenant stated, coming around the edge of the row of lockers. "We're going with Teal'c to the Sodan homeworld. Emergency situation."

"I'll be right there."

"Oh...Have you seen Colonel Mitchell?"

"No..." Gwaine shook his head.

"Of course, he hasn't seen me...Because...no one can! Damnit, Lee!" Mitchell cursed the scientist who had activated the device.

"Damn...he and Colonel Carter are missing, too." Mooney shrugged. He turned and headed back out the door. "See ya in a few!"

"Yep!" Gwaine finished dressing and took another look around, as he shut his locker. On the floor nearby, he spotted a keycard. He glanced about, with a guilty expression. Chuckling to himself, he picked up Carolyn's card. "Guess I better sneak this back to her somehow."

"Yes...you probably should." Mitchell groaned, rubbing his hands over his face. It was going to be a long day.


	6. Chapter 6

**Chapter Six:**

_**"A man travels the world over in search of what he needs and returns home to find it."** _

_**\- George Moore** _

* * *

Leon glanced out to the gardens below. The clouds, which had started to dissipate earlier, had returned with a vengeance, and were pouring their souls out on the manicured lawns and hedges. Rivulets of mud wound their way through the garden paths, like tiny flash floods, taking out whatever was in their paths in the way of debris that hadn't been cleared. It washed them to drains, where the previous year's fallen leaves would gather in a brown pile, and clog the flow of the run-off; creating puddles and temporary ponds, where later, birds would gather to wash themselves or drink.

He hated the rain. Why bother getting wet from a downpour, when he could hop in his ship and go someplace with better weather? Had he become a coward...running from the rain, just as he had from nearly everything else in the prior fifteen hundred years?

If what had happened...getting caught by Gwaine...had happened anywhere else, he would have run then, too. Instead though, he'd surprised himself and stuck around for dinner. Of course, afterwards he had shared a private 'dessert' with Laney, when Gwaine left to go meet a friend of his for drinks. The younger man had politely invited Leon to tag along, even though he knew the invitation wouldn't be accepted. He had convinced himself, that it was only because of Gwaine's insistence that he had stuck around.

He had slipped out quietly, in the middle of the night...having actually stayed around long enough for her to fall asleep after their encounter. Leon wanted to bang his head against a wall. He had been around too long. That's what it was, he thought. He'd just lived far too long. He was too jaded and exhausted to care anymore. His mission of protecting Arthur's sword had taken its toll, and now that was done, he was tired. Yes, he mused. He was tired of living for so long, running, fighting, hiding...not having a life of his own.

His life, however, had never been his own. Since the day he was born into nobility, his life had been destined to serve the Crown of Camelot, as his father had done. His training as a page and a squire; his vows of knighthood to Uther and Camelot; the arranged marriage...it was all a path chosen by someone else. After Camelot...after Nemeth...he was thrust into an existence that, at first, made him fearful, but then fascinated him. It was perhaps sixty Earth years later, on the eve of his first century, that he had really begun to feel the effects of not being able to age...or to die.

_The loss of so many in such a short time; from Camlann until they fled to Nemeth. In less than two years, he had lost everything. He buried his pain and his grief, deep below the surface; needing to be a strong leader for the refugees._

_Once they were settled in Nemeth, life began to move on. He shackled his emotions and used them to fuel his rage on the battlefield, as he took a position high up in the Nemethian Army. The friendship he had with Merlin, had become rather distant. He was proud to speak up and help Merlin attain a level of status, the warlock had been denied in Camelot. Had Arthur survived Camlann, things could have been different...or, perhaps not. There had still been the Plague not long after, that had taken his family._

_Leon returned to Nemeth for events, like Merlin's wedding, but he tried to keep himself moving, always running from his heartache._

_It was a few decades after being brought aboard the Asgardian ship, that he felt ready to venture out on his own in space. The temple seemed like a perfect place to rest. It had been a very tranquil time in the knight's life, possibly the most peaceful time of his existence he'd ever experienced. The temple, was much like those of the Gregorian Monks on Earth. It gave him time to reflect and a time to rest, after the darkness that had encompassed his life._

_"Welcome to our temple." The younger man with dark brown hair, and sparkling eyes, had said in greeting._

_"My thanks." Leon said, setting his rucksack to the side._

_The man looked over Leon, his eyes settling on the sword. "Forgive me, but we do not allow weapons inside our sanctuary."_

_Leon gave a dejected sigh. "This is not a weapon, quite as you might understand it to be. This sword is a sacred blade. I have been charged with its safekeeping. I swear I will never unsheath it, nor use it."_

_The monk searched Leon's eyes, finally arriving at the truth. "I believe you. Your eyes tell me you have seen enough bloodshed."_

_For the first time since the fall of Camelot, Leon felt a connection with another human being. It was indescribable...the warmth of the younger man's smile...the acceptance in his blue eyes...Leon's heart cried out in elation._

_"Please, be welcome in our temple."_

_For years, Leon had stayed, as a member of their order. Most of their days were filled in silence, working in gardens that fed the local populace, or in meditative chanting. Leon didn't completely buy into the doctrine of the monks, but it was enough to escape for a time._

_He kept his history and the details of the sword a secret, even from his friend, for a good number of years. Finally he relented, just to ease the burden on his own shoulders._

_It had been twenty-four years since he had first set foot in the temple. The young man who had greeted him, was now approximately the same age Leon had been, when he had left Earth. They sat quietly one evening, after prayers, and his companion finally asked about the sword._

_"You do not need to answer, but I do find myself so curious at times, of the history of, not only yourself, but the sword you guard. Will I ever be worthy enough to hear the story?"_

_Leon looked to the sword, and smiled sadly at the memories that came to his mind unbidden. "Do you realize, I would be nearly a century old in a few days, if I was still on my home planet?"_

_The other man shrugged and smiled cordially. It wasn't unheard of for other humanoid beings in the galaxy to age differently. "Is that unusual for your people?"_

_Nodding slowly, Leon responded with a simple, "Yes."_

_His companion must have thought that Leon wasn't going to answer his initial query, so he seemed surprised when Leon spoke again._

_"It belonged to my king. I was first among his knights and his guard. I had a wife, children, friends...It was a life filled with blood and battle, but I could return to Camelot at the end of a patrol to a hot meal of venison, and warm greetings from my children, as they asked me to tell them stories of bandits and monsters I may have encountered." It was the first time, he had opened up to anyone about his past. It felt good, like a long overdue cleansing of his soul._

_They spent the entire night together in conversation. Leon explained what he knew about the sword, and the prophecies surrounding it. Little did he realize, a young acolyte squatted outside the window of Leon's cell, listening to the tales of kings and dragons, and swords of power._

_Two days later, on the eve of Leon's one-hundredth birthday, the attack came from the sky. A Goa'uld named Ba'al came in his mothership, searching for a weapon. Leon fled the temple with the sword in hand. He tried to get his friend to join him, but the man would not waver. He seemed almost frantically insistent that Leon stay as well._

_Lancelot's visage, beckoning to him from near a hidden exit, made the knight's decision for him._

_He returned later to find nearly everything destroyed. He found the young acolyte, crying over the dead and mutilated body of Leon's companion._

_"This wasn't supposed to happen. Ba'al was supposed to take the sword, and in return he would grant the people of my home freedom." The boy cried. "It was my brother's idea." He said, indicating the body. "He never liked you having the weapon here."_

_Leon didn't know whether to pity the boy, or run him through. He realized then, his mistake in trusting someone. Twenty-four years with the man, and this was the way his faith and friendship was repaid._

_Leon chose to walk away. He vowed that he would never again, allow himself to open his heart. From that day, he was marked; a branded man...roaming the galaxy in an attempt to stay one step ahead of those that coveted the sword._

The centuries ran together. Most of the time, he couldn't remember things that had happened from one year to the next. He knew there were good times, but the majority was a blur of vignettes. He'd had relationships that lasted a few years, before he would either get bored, or more often than not, something would happen to cause him to move on. He wouldn't admit to actively looking for a way out of anything that involved emotion, but he would have been hard pressed to deny it as well.

Rumors had spread like wildfire throughout the star system, about the sword's power. Many races in the galaxy, such as the Goa'uld, lived extremely long lives. The Jaffa, servants of the Goa'uld, had a lifespan of over two-hundred years. Their memories, especially when teased by the idea of a powerful weapon made by the Furlings, were long.

The sword now belonged to Arthur once more, and the ancient knight wondered, as he stared at the gray sky out the window, where that left him. He hadn't seen Lancelot, since the day he accidentally beamed Laney up to his ship, instead of her brother, so asking the Ascended knight was out of the question.

He shifted in his chair, when a door nearby opened. Merlin came out of the ensuite bathroom in nothing but a towel, obviously expecting to be alone in his room.

The warlock's dark blue eyes lit on Leon. He showed no sign of being surprised, other than to raise his eyebrows in inquiry.

"Five to ten years, huh?" Leon asked, absently.

Merlin simply nodded, and moved into his walk-in closet.

"I don't know whether to feel saddened, or to congratulate you. I will admit, I am a bit jealous."

Re-emerging from the closet, in jogging bottoms and a shirt, Merlin walked up to the window. He leaned his shoulder against the frame, and stared out. "I don't know what to feel either. You're probably the only one who could understand that a part of me wants to jump for joy.

"I'm not immortal...I won't have to bury another wife. All I would need to do to achieve that is...nothing. Not a (i)damn(/) thing. Just let this disease that I feel growing inside my soul, do its work. Wait for Aithusa, wherever he is, to die, and then I would die. I already feel it. I have for a while now, and didn't know what it was..."

Leon studied his friend for a while, before coming to a conclusion. "...But you're not going to do that, are you?"

Merlin turned and met Leon's stare. He shrugged, "It would be like committing suicide...just the long way around. I don't know what I'm going to do."

The blond knight stood up and stretched. He moved to stand against the other side of the window frame. "At least, you still have a purpose. Now that Arthur has his sword back, I guess all I can do is hang around and wait until the inevitable happens. You may not be human, but he still is, and thanks to that fracking Cup...I don't know where I fit in this anymore."

"I want to talk to your alien friend about that, actually. I've read some interesting stuff about the Cup recently, trying to figure out its properties and such."

"What do you want to know? I have all the information about it on a couple of data crystals. One has some information from the Asgard. The other is programed only to be read with the system that was used to write it...and I have yet to find that."

Merlin smirked and evaluated his friend. He made a soft snorting sound, before turning back to the view. "Yeah, I guess that's something you would have tried to figure out about."

"For all the good it does me. I can't make head nor tails of half the crap in the Asgard file, even after staring at it for centuries. Hell, even if I did have a clue about it, the Cup has been lost for so long...It might have flown off to the stars with your dragon, for all I know."

The warlock stiffened.

Leon didn't appear to notice. He was too lost in his own thoughts. "Arthur filled us in on a few things...asking if I had seen, or heard, anything about a dragon out there in space."

"...and have you?"

"Rumors here and there that might help. Which is good for you, but..."

Merlin started chuckling. He was shaking his head, as he turned and walked over to a wall panel.

Leon watched him open it, and took minor note that there seemed to be a liquor cabinet, hidden in the recess. Merlin pulled out two tumblers and a decanter. Using one hand to pour, he used the other to hold the glasses.

"You keep a lot of things hidden, don't you?" He asked rhetorically and turned back out, hoping the rain would be more interesting than the alcohol.

"Yes, I do. I think it's something we've both learned, wouldn't you say?" Merlin responded. He tapped Leon on the shoulder with a glass.

Unmindfully, Leon took it and started bringing it towards his mouth, before he noticed it was a stemmed goblet, not a glass tumbler. In his shock, he dropped it.

Merlin's eyes flashed just before it hit the ground, and the Cup of Life froze mid-air. "This is rather new bamboo flooring. I really would prefer it not to get marred."

Leon laughed, and reached down to grab the suspended chalice. He looked up and accepted the actual glass of liquid, that Merlin was holding out to him with his other hand. He smiled genuinely, for the first time in centuries, and raised his glass in a toast. "You son of a bitch."

Merlin clicked his glass to Leon's, while he protested, "Oy! I may not remember much about my mother, but she was a nice woman."

"Oh, I remember her...especially at your wedding to Mithian."

Merlin choked on his drink, and tried to glare at his friend. They soon found themselves laughing in remembrance of the soft-spoken, peasant woman.

After a snippet of an overheard conversation regarding her son's upbringing, she had single-handedly managed to cow more than a few nobles into eating their words...and she had never raised her voice once.

Sighing fondly, Merlin turned back towards the window. His voice was as distant as his thoughts. "I think she would have liked Martha."

"I think she would have been proud of all you have done." Leon set his glass on the window ledge. "Whatever happened to her?"

Merlin had to think about the question, before he could answer. "Mithian and I were touring the mainland, partly looking for you, but also visiting the court of some Frankish or Visigoth king. I can't quite recall. By the time we returned to Nemeth, I was informed there had been an attack on Ealdor, where my mother had _still_ insisted on living."

Leon gave his friend a pat on the shoulder. "Sorry to hear that."

"It was a long time ago..."

"Wasn't it all, my friend. Wasn't it all."


	7. Chapter 7

 

**Chapter Seven:**

* * *

It had proven to be a very long mission for all involved. The entire population of the Sodan Tribe had been wiped out. It was a move of retaliation by the Ori, for losing the Sodan as followers. One of the warriors had been transformed by the Ori into what Mitchell could only describe as a zombie.

With Mitchell's own out-of-phase mishap, he had been able to help, as the Sodan also employed a phase-shifting technology to surprise their enemies, which Teal'c was making use of to track the Sodan warrior.

They finally managed to defeat the zombie, but in the end, nothing could be done to save anyone in the tribe. It was a sad day all around, as they had also lost a couple of their own during the battle.

Carter and Jackson had received an earful for their timing in figuring out how to turn the device off, nearly getting Mitchell and Teal'c killed while they were setting a trap for the zombie.

"Just another day at the office." Mitchell sat, nursing his beer at the bar above the bowling lanes. The cacophony of noise from the wood floors, the echoes the sounds of the balls rolling, and raucous laughter from the people, were beginning to make his head hurt.

He jolted forward slightly, when a hand clapped down on his back.

"Hey."

"Hey." He responded to Gwaine. He glanced around to make sure there was no one else from the SGC nearby. "Listen...the other day, when I was kind of phased out...I came into the locker room to look for Jackson."

"Shit." Gwaine responded, hanging his head. He didn't need to ask which day, or what Cameron was referring to. They had known each other too long. "I knew there was someone in there."

"Eh-yeah...The two of you seemed rather cozy together in the shower."

Gwaine groaned and held up his finger to the bartender, indicating another round of beer was in order. "She ambushed me."

Snorting in disbelief, Mitchell finished off his beer, and reached for the new one that was placed in front of him.

"Seriously! I mean, sure we've been dating for a while, and having a bit of fun, but I think I'm moving too slow for her."

"Right...Mr. Ladies Man Dallon...moving 'too slow.'" He hooked his fingers in the air. "I find that hard to believe."

Gwaine rolled his eyes and sighed, "I'm not the same man I was before."

"Are you telling me..." Cameron lowered his voice and spoke out of the corner of his mouth. "...that you haven't...you know...gone all the way with her?"

"Nope."

"Dude!"

"I know! I've lost the Stud Award, haven't I?"

"Noooo...You can't lose something like that. However! You have graduated to the Gentleman level."

"Try telling her that."

"You're kidding me?"

Gwaine shook his head and took a drink. He glanced out to the lanes, catching Dr. Lam's eyes. He smiled and waggled his eyebrows. She giggled and turned back to the game. He whimpered as he shifted back to Cam and the bar.

"Who would have thought: Dallon...taking things slow." Cameron chuckled at the miserable look on his friend's face. "It's not because you...you know...can't or something?"

"Hell, no!" Gwaine responded emphatically. "That...is not an issue."

"Then, what?"

The major shrugged, "Too much time in the sixth century, I guess. I like her..."

"But?"

"...but...I just don't know for sure where I want to be yet. It'd be unfair to her."

Cameron nodded knowingly. He decided to shift the conversation to give his friend a break. "Well...that mantle-thing-a-ma-bob has given up some information now. I've already cleared it through Reynolds and Landry. This next week...you are going with SG-1."

His head turned slowly, and his lip was curled up in disbelief. "What?"

"It seems Merlin's Weapon...not your Merlin, the Ancient Merlin, might have hidden it on a planet...called...wait for it...Camelot."

"This is giving me a headache."

"You don't want to go?"

"Oh, I want to go. I just can't figure out why these aliens have to steal the names and stuff of all that."

"Jackson actually thinks all the names of the places you knew, were stolen (i)from(/) the Ancients, not by them."

"That would make more sense." He relented. Although, he still didn't seem too thrilled by it.

Cameron nodded his agreement. "So, you're coming with us, right?"

"Hell, yeah. Wouldn't miss it!"

"So, why do I get the feeling there's still something holding you back?"

"It's Arthur and Merlin..."

"We may be friendly and all, but passing along this information would be considered treason. You could be Court Marshalled." The colonel warned. He had suspected Gwaine was possibly letting a bit more slip in his conversations with Colonel Emyrs than the non-disclosure contracts would allow.

"I know."

"But...!" Cameron smirked and tipped the mouth of his beer bottle towards Gwaine. "...If you suggested to Landry, that their help could be beneficial, and maybe get Colonel Emrys to put in a good word to the British government that we are working with them...it could go a long way in the views of those IOA bureaucrats...especially, since the item we found was on British soil, and Emrys already has Gate Clearance."

Gwaine grinned at the suggestion. "I'll talk to the general on Monday then."

"Good. Settled. Awesome." Cameron glanced over to the bowling lanes. "Now...about that gal you're dating...SERIOUSLY? You haven't done anything?"

"We've done _some_ things. Second and third base type stuff."

"...But...no home run?"

"Nope...no home run."

"I can't believe it." Cameron snickered, "No wonder she ambushed you. You've been dating for months. Obviously, she's wanting to take it to the next level."

"Shut up, Mitchell."

"Look, I'm just saying..." He held his hands out in surrender.

Gwaine rolled his eyes, groaned, and finished his beer.

* * *

 

The bags were packed, and sitting by the front door of the apartment. The boarding passes had been printed and were sitting in her handbag, along with her passport and ID. Plucking her phone out of her pocket, Martha made another attempt at calling her husband.

His phone went straight to voicemail. "Again?" She scrunched her face in exasperation and hit the 'end call' button, without leaving a message. Taking a breath, Martha groaned. It seemed completely out of character for Merlin to not at least attempt to return a call.

In fact, everything from him for the past few days had been off. He was supposed to join her at their flat in Manhattan, after returning through the Stargate with Gwaine. An email informed her that the trip hadn't taken as long as he had expected. He was already back in the UK and would contact her soon. Since then, she hadn't heard a word from him.

She had called the house and spoken with Gwen, who told her that Merlin was indeed there, although he and Arthur were off doing their own thing. From the way Gwen made it sound, this appeared to be quite normal for the two men. While Martha was happy to hear that her husband was reconnecting with his former king, it irked her slightly that he had neglected to at least call her to discuss a change plans for their anniversary.

Hoping to have him in New York, Martha had made arrangements for a special gift to be delivered to a showroom in the city. Thankfully, the owner of the place was more than happy to keep the gift as a display, until Merlin arrived.

She bit down on her bottom lip and glanced at her phone. If she didn't leave soon, she might miss her flight home. One last check around, to make sure everything was turned off, or unplugged, Martha walked to the door and reached for the handle.

She yelped in surprise, when it opened just before she could touch it.

Merlin gave her a lopsided grin. "Miss me?"

"Nearly! I was just on my way to the airport!" She wrapped her arms around him and laid a kiss on his lips that took his breath away. "Why the hell haven't you returned my calls, or my texts?"

His shoulders lifted, and he shook his head. "A lot on my mind I needed to deal with." His blue eyes rolled in annoyance when a false coughing sound came from the hallway. "Shut up, Arthur."

"OH! Is Gwen here, as well?" Martha smiled and moved Merlin out of the way. Her eyes searched the hall.

"Sorry, just me. She sends her love, though." Arthur stated, accepting the embrace and light kiss on the cheek that Martha, and others of this time, seemed so keen on offering.

"We're actually just stopping in for the night, on our way back to Colorado." Merlin explained, heading towards the kitchen. He glanced at the bags in the small foyer. "Going somewhere?"

"I was catching a flight home, to see that husband of mine."

"Hmm. Well, I don't think he's there."

"Really? Whatever gave you that idea?"

"Just a feeling."

She motioned for Arthur to come inside, and shut the door behind him. "Wonder where he is?"

"Dunno, haven't seen him for a while." His head popped back out of the kitchen and he gave her a cheeky grin.

The smile didn't quite reach his eyes, and she felt a cold breath chill her. Something about his bantering words didn't seem too far from the truth. She wondered what it was, and was about to ask when Arthur yelled from the living room windows. Martha hadn't been paying attention to where the former king had wandered.

"My god, Merlin! Have you seen this!" His enthusiasm was contagious.

"Seen what?"

Martha laughed and moved to the windows. "I think he's talking about the view."

"No, Arthur. Can't say I have." Merlin deadpanned.

"Shut up, Merlin."

The warlock laughed, and joined his wife and friend at the window.

When the plane had landed, the sun had just begun to set. Arthur was amazed at all the bright, glass buildings reflecting the colors of the sun. Now, he stood in awe at the city lights that had come to life. He'd never before imagined anything like it. Everywhere he turned in this new world, held fascinating aspects, that a man from the sixth century could never have dreamed of.

Electric billboards highlighted the latest in fashion trends, plastered with scantily clad models. Neon glared and flashed like magical beasts battling for the brightest place in the eyes of the human population. He wondered out loud, if he would ever get used to it all.

Down below on the streets, cars weaved in and out, like skillful dancers. The windows of the apartment were thick enough that they couldn't hear the horns and engines below.

"Ooh! I better call and cancel my flight." Martha said suddenly. "Have you boys eaten yet?"

As if on cue, Arthur's stomach grumbled in response.

* * *

 

Martha wrapped her arm around her husband's, threading her fingers with his. She watched as Arthur bounded ahead of them, like a kid at Christmas, ogling different things in the windows of the shops they passed.

They had eaten dinner at a Sushi Bar, just down the block from the apartment. She wished she had thought to pull out her phone, and record the entertaining show of Merlin attempting to teach Arthur how to use chopsticks.

"Happy Anniversary." She said to her husband, with a smile.

Merlin raised their joined hands to his lips, and kissed the back of her hand. "Happy Anniversary."

"Is everything alright?"

He nodded, "Just a lot on my mind right now. I'm sorry I'm such poor company."

"Want to talk about it?" Typically, he was observant of his surroundings. The lack of comment on her rather short dress alone, didn't escape Martha's notice. The mauve sequins sparkled as they passed under the street lights, and she hugged her free arm around her waist. There was a cold sense of distance that was almost tangible.

"Not really. Not yet."

Most of the time, she could discern, simply by his tone, if his mind was wandering into the past or the stuck on something more recent. His current mood didn't quite fit either of those scenarios. "Well, I know something that should get your mind off whatever it is that's bothering you."

"Oh?"

"Window shopping."

Laughing, he squeezed her hand and pointed to Arthur. "I thought that's what we were doing?"

"...But you know what's just around the corner, don't you?"

"Eh..." He offered her a disappointed shrug.

"Eh? Really? You don't want to go look at the Jag dealer?"

"Not really...A little annoyed with them at the moment."

"Why?" They turned the corner, and she led him reluctantly towards the dealership.

"They never got back with me about the new car." He scuffed his foot against the concrete walk.

"Well, then, perhaps you can speak to them while we're there?"

He shrugged again. She led him into the brightly lit showroom. Merlin sneered at the vehicle that took center stage. It was a brand new Jaguar XLR GT. The bright, white paint gleamed tauntingly.

Arthur's lips raised in a forced smile. He still wasn't able to comprehend his friend's fascination with these cars.

Martha felt Merlin stiffen in annoyance as the Sales Manager approached them. She knew he had been dreaming of owning one of these cars for a while, since he first heard they were being produced. The thing that made them even more enticing, was that there were only twenty-five made. It had taken a lot of finagling and underhanded dealings on Martha's part, to make certain he wouldn't be able to get one.

"Ah, Dr. Jones. I received your message and everything should be in order for you to take possession this evening." The keys dangled enticingly from his fingers, as she took them and turned toward Merlin.

His blue eyes glistened with surprise. "You didn't?"

She smiled and pressed the keys into his palm. "I did. Happy Anniversary."

* * *

 

Years of having propriety and etiquette drilled into him, from the time he was a young child, was the only thing that kept Arthur from bouncing his leg, or tapping his fingers, as the plane soared over the countryside. He much preferred the smaller jet, which Merlin had borrowed from a friend to fly them to and from Colorado the last time. Arthur longed for the days when he had been able to ride across the countryside with his knights, without the machinery to interfere. Just the sound of the horse's breath and hoofbeats, pounding along a seemingly endless expanse of earth and mud. The smell of clean air, untainted by the exhaust of the automobiles; or the sweet sounds of nature, unimpeded by the dull electric hum from street lamps, would have been a welcome state...but it seemed nowhere to be found in this new world.

He shifted and yawned, the hypnotic view outside the window made him feel small inside. He watched as the hills, grasslands, and canyons sped by underneath, sometimes lost under the clouds, but others times, starkly highlighted in the bright, midday sun.

The first class seating, which Merlin had arranged for, was comfortable, but the hours still crawled by at a snail's pace.

Merlin stared at a device in his hand, appearing entirely too calm about the affair.

"What's wrong?" The warlock finally asked, feeling Arthur's eyes scanning him again.

"Martha seemed in a rather good mood this morning."

"Mmm. Yes, she was. Hope we didn't keep you up too late." His tone was unapologetic, and a wry grin teased at the corners of his mouth.

"You didn't tell her, did you?" Arthur asked abruptly.

Merlin simply shook his head. "If you had known you were going to die at Camlann, would you have told Gwen?"

Arthur's gaze shifted to the window. "No, I suppose not." After a few moments, he asked, "Did you know I was going to die there?"

Merlin set his tablet down on his lap. He stared at the back of the seat in front of him. "Would it have made a difference, if I had told you of my magic...or of an obscure prophecy, or a vision? Would you have stayed away from Camlann? Would you have knighted Mordred...or, would you have turned your back on me in condemnation? Would you have thrown away your sword, if you knew it was forged by a dragon?"

"It is rather unfair to ask me that now, don't you think?"

Merlin shrugged, "No more so than your question to me."

"Touché." The hiss of the fans overhead created a dull ache in Arthur's temples. "When Mordred was dying, after we met with the Disir...you returned to that cave with me. Why didn't you tell me then?"

"I have no idea."

"You must have some clue, Merlin. I know you're not a complete idiot. I knew you weren't one back then, either."

"Honestly...I don't remember my reasoning."

"How can you not remember?"

Merlin gave his friend a bug-eyed look of incredulity. "...Because it was...umpteen hundred years ago?"

Grumbling under his breath, Arthur pouted in defiance. Merlin turned back to his reading, with a chuckle.

"Percival and Leon will be meeting us?"

"Yes. I'll send them a message as soon as we find out the address."

"Are you nervous?"

"A bit. You?"

"King's don't get nervous."

"Good thing you're not a king anymore."

"What's that supposed to mean?"

"It means you can afford to let yourself be a normal man." Merlin gasped melodramatically at the seemingly sudden revelation.

"What if I don't want to be a normal man? I'm tired of pretending I'm suited for this new lifestyle, when I really don't feel like I am."

Merlin turned to Arthur. He stared at his counterpart thoughtfully. A bright, goofy grin suddenly lit up his face, as an idea took hold. "Guess we'll just have to find you a new kingdom then, eh?"

Arthur's eyes were cool and his face was like stone. "Yes, I believe you should."

The grin faltered momentarily, before it twisted into a snorting sound. Merlin brought his hand up to his face, attempting to conceal his laughter. "I'll get right on that, _Sire._ "

"You do that, Merlin." Arthur couldn't keep the straight face any longer, and both men tried desperately to stifle the chuckles that threatened.

"Maybe when we reach this Camelot, they'll be needing a king."

* * *

 

A row ahead of them, a dark-haired man with a long narrow face, smirked in delight. He was the picture of a perfect businessman, in his designer suit and tie. Nothing about him really stood out. Handsome and confident, when he wanted the attention of those around him, he easily achieved it, but he could also blend into the crowd and go unnoticed..

The overheard conversation from behind, was very informative. Most people would have probably dismissed the odd dialogue, as simply a couple of young men playing some sort of game. Taken in the right context, however, it was the break he'd been waiting for.

In a fortuitous coincidence, he had decided to travel by the conventional Tau'ri method of flight toward Colorado. He suspected that no one looking for him...or one of his fellow clones...would suspect such a mundane maneuver. He wanted to place himself in a closer position to the Stargate to be in a better position for the future.

Camelot...a sword...a king. He rubbed his hands gleefully. The opportunity that was presented was beyond perfect. The fabled weapon of the Furlings...was closer than it had been in centuries.

The plane landed and the people on board began to disembark. The man with the shaggy, raven-colored, mop of styled hair grabbed his bag, and his companion's from the overhead storage bin. He paused out of politeness and motioned to man who had been seated in front of them.

"Oh no, that's quite alright." The businessman smiled pleasantly.

The raven-haired man shrugged and started down the aisle.

Grabbing his own carry-on, the businessman tripped over the seat, and accidentally knocked into the blond man who was trying to catch up to his companion. "How clumsy of me. I think my legs must have fallen asleep a bit on the flight."

Nodding, the blond man let him no there was no damage or hard feelings, before he moved on after his friend.

* * *


	8. Chapter 8

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> * marks the transcript dialogue from SG-1 Episodes 919 "Crusade" and 920 "Camelot" borrowed (and twisted) for story development. (in other words not all of the dialogue of the SG-1 characters is mine)

**Chapter Eight:**

* * *

The steam in the locker room had more to do with the heated water from the showers and sinks, than anything more erotic. At least a dozen or so men...scantily clad in towels and underwear, and looking oh, so delicious, she added mentally...prepared for their day of work.

Solid, masculine bodies of varying shapes walked around, not paying her a second glance, as she bit her lip and ogled them over the rim of wire-framed glasses...except when she paused to make a barking sound at one of them. She sucked in a gasping breath, and hummed out her appreciation of the two men directly in front of her. Completely different, the taller one was a bit stockier, but still well-toned. The shorter was leaner, with the perfect triangle from shoulders to narrow hips.

Condensation from the air glistened off the languidly moving shoulder blades, and ran down their spines. She licked her lips, imagining what either...or both...might be like in a very, very large bed.

* * *

 

"You know one thing I really miss about being a knight?"

"The fact you didn't have to shave?"

"You got it...and my hair. Damn, I miss having longer hair."

Cameron snickered and rinsed his razor in the sink. "Well, not much can be done about that...unless you get a wig to wear off duty. I hear the good ones are actually rather affordable nowadays."

"Oh, yeah. So you can make fun of me? I don't think so."

"C'mon, man. You don't want to be known as Sir Gwaine, Knight of the Rug Table?"

Gwaine was about to retort when he paused, his sixth sense was tickling his mind. His hand stilled, the blade of his razor just millimeters from his chin. Raising his eyes from his own reflection, he saw a familiar face in the mirror. He blinked and shook his head to rid himself of the odd thought that had just passed through.

"Something wrong?" Mitchell asked.

"Naw...for a minute I just thought Dr. Jackson was looking at my ass." He muttered quietly.

A whistling catcall came from behind them. Cameron's eyebrows furrowed. He reached up to wipe the steam from the mirror. Sure enough, there was Daniel Jackson standing a few feet behind them with a coy, very un-Daniel-like smirk, bouncing excitedly on the balls of his feet, and tilting his head to the side in a rather feminine manner. "Jackson? Is there something I should know?"*

* * *

 

Gwaine jumped and a let out with a girlish squeak when Jackson grabbed his butt and gave it a pinch. After that he moved behind Jackson and glared. He didn't quite understand what was going on, but from the sound of it, Mitchell did.

"Major Gwaine Dallon, meet Vala Mal Doran. Vala, this is Major Dallon...He's got a girlfriend."

Jackson's body, inhabited by the consciousness of Vala, pouted, and then added flirtatiously, "That's never really stopped me before..."

"Vala, behave." Cameron warned.

"I...uh...thought she was dead?" Gwaine whispered loudly to his friend.

"Yeah. We did too."

They entered into the cafeteria and crossed to a table where Sam Carter was eating her breakfast.

Jackson-Vala smiled and put his hands on his hips. He casually tilted his head to the side.

With a motion towards the oddly-behaving archaeologist, Mitchell asked her. "How is this possible?"*

Sam grinned like a kid at Christmas around the food in her mouth. "Oh, my God. It worked! I mean, you know, it's working."* Shoving her tray aside, Sam jumped up and headed out the door towards the labs.

The other three sighed and followed after her, with little other choice available if they wanted to find out what the quantum physicist colonel was so gleeful about.

* * *

 

What Gwaine heard after that, when they entered the lab, sparked a long, lost interest in him. He'd studied communication theories and engineering at university, and his tinkering had played into why his radio had still worked after years of neglect. Since his return, he hadn't had much of an opportunity to delve into some of the newest discoveries. Most of what he had learned was simply to try to catch up to the advances from the years of his absence.

As he listened to Colonel Carter explain, however, he felt more than a little out of touch. Mitchell seemed to follow the technical laden dialogue better than Gwaine expected.

"We didn't think we were ever going to make this work."* Carter exclaimed, as they entered her lab. Most of the surfaces were covered with computers, or alien devices she was currently researching, when she wasn't going through the Stargate.

Mitchell looked at her skeptically. "Make what work?"*

"Well, since you disintegrated the Alteran communication stones and the base terminal in the kawoosh..."*

"Kawoosh?" Gwaine asked, trying to get in on the conversation. That was a technical term he hadn't heard used. Obviously, neither had Mitchell.

"I'm sorry, the what?"* Mitchell's eyebrows rose in a mix of confusion for her use of the term, and admiration for her stepping away from the technical jargon.

"The unstable vortex of a forming wormhole. Kawoosh."*

Gwaine snickered and glanced at Jackson-Vala. He wasn't as familiar with the archaeologist as the others were, but even without the groping he'd received, he could tell the difference in mannerisms. Right now, he or she was not a happy camper.

Jackson-Vala broke through the rambling dialogue with an impatient sing-song voice. "Hello. Hi. My name is Vala, but I'm in Daniel Jackson right now."* ...As if trying to remind them of her predicament would get her a step closer to resolving the issue.

Carter turned towards Vala, before continuing, "Anyway, we've been working on a way of artificially emulating the Alteran technology. Doctor Lee was able to collect quite a bit of data from the time that you were unconscious and communicating with the people from the Ori galaxy. So, using that and this Tok'ra subspace communicator, we've been trying to mimic the frequencies sent and received by the stones. We just didn't think we were having any luck."*

Vala seemed to get really excited about that. "I'm really glad you are. I was desperately hoping in fact..."*

"So, you're in the Ori galaxy."* Mitchell stated rhetorically, ignoring what Vala was trying to say.

Gwaine glanced at his watch, and realized that the car which had been sent to pick up Merlin and Arthur from the airport was to arrive soon. He felt sorry for this Vala, but didn't know exactly how to help her in this situation. He patted Mitchell on the shoulder, and tilted his head towards the door. Mitchell responded with a nod, before turning back to the conversation at hand.

"Are you able to communicate with Daniel?"* Carter was asking.

"No...just see and hear you."* Vala exclaimed impatiently.

"You see, we've been using the data from the stone that Daniel connected on this end, which is why you're connected to his body."*

Vala chuckled cynically. "It's funny, isn't it? Daniel always wanted to get in my pants, and now I'm in his."*

Gwaine choked on his laughter as he opened the door. He tried in vain to bite back the grin as he caught Vala's eyes. Something about her character, even in the archaeologist's body, gave him the feeling she would be a lot of fun...or trouble...at a party.

Mitchell sent both of them a glare. "Oh, that's not funny. He can't defend himself."*

* * *

 

Arthur's eyes glazed over, and he nodded noncommittally. He was really trying to listen and pay attention, but the man giving him the lesson in Gate Protocol was speaking in a dry monotone that could have put an angry bear to sleep. He tried to pay attention; he really did. The former king's mind drifted back to his days of listening to the council sessions on taxation and crops.

He recalled one lord who reminded him of the staff sergeant in front of him now. Lord Dafyd, an ageing man from his father's Council, used to drone on all day long, and well into the night, discussing every seed that had ever been planted on his lands.

A stack of papers fell onto the table in front of him, jolting Arthur back to the present.

"You will need to sign the standard Non-Disclosure Forms, plus the liability forms LLR-1001, 012, and LD-4385..." The dull voice continued.

Arthur felt an itch on his arm, and scratched at it lightly. He crinkled his nose in confusion at the small, red bump that was there.

"Is everything okay, Mr. Pendragon?"

"Yes. Yes, it's fine. Just an insect bite." Arthur reached for the pen the man offered, and began signing the forms. He couldn't wait to be released from the tortures of paperwork.

* * *

 

"What do you mean? We might not be going?"

Merlin rolled his eyes and watched as Arthur pranced around. Gwaine ran a hand over his short hair and shot Arthur a look of apology. The former king had obviously been excited at the prospect of going through the Stargate. The planet's address had been found in some of the data contained in the device the SGC had begun calling Arthur's Mantle. It appeared to be a journal of sorts, that was only legible by a person who was out of synchronization with normal time-space...or phased, as it was commonly referred to.

Daniel had luckily been able to transcribe and translate some of the information before the power supply had been exhausted, which ultimately shut off the phase generation that was affecting the three members of SG-1. Moros, or Merlin, as the Ancient was more commonly known, had added that interesting side-effect in order to hide his work from the other Ascended beings. Among the data collected was a Gate address, and hints of a weapon to fight the Ori.

"Something rather unexpected has come up." Gwaine explained simply, not wanting to elaborate on the Jackson-Vala situation. "General Landry and the SG-1 team are dealing with it now, but the mission might be scrubbed, or pushed back, due to this...complication."

"I don't care what complications may have arisen. We were promised a trip to a planet called Camelot. Fix it, Gwaine!"

The marine shrunk back slightly, slouching against the table in the conference room. "It's not something I have control over, Arthur."

"Merlin?" The blue eyes of the former king were as hard as steel, when he turned to the warlock.

"Don't look at me like that! We're guests here. Inviting us along was a courtesy they didn't need to extend."

Mitchell suddenly came bounding into the room from the General's Office. "Guess what, boys? We're still on for PX1-767. Although, there's been a slight change to the mission plan. This won't be the regular sightseeing tour. Merlin's weapon, is supposed to be hidden there, and while we intended to look for it anyway, it has become our top priority."

Merlin rolled his eyes at the use of the name. He still wanted to know how he ended up with the same name as this Alteran, as even back then, before his time, it had never been a common name.

Gwaine breathed a sigh of relief. He motioned to one of the chairs and grinned at Arthur.

Rearing to get the show on the road, Arthur actually sat down between his two friends. They waited for the rest of SG-1 to come in to start the mission briefing.

PX1-767 was the classified code the Stargate Command used for the particular planet they were going to visit. When Colonel Carter finally entered the room, she handed out folders to everyone with the approved mission briefing notes. Arthur hid his knowing smirk, when Merlin's eyes flashed under hooded lids, as the warlock read the actual Gate address.

It was underhanded, but Arthur now knew Leon had the coordinates, and would meet them there with Percival. He would have much rather been straightforward with the people at the SGC, but it was thrilling to be a part of something grander once again, even if it involved a bit of deception at Merlin's insistence.

"It'll be just like old times, when your father reigned." Merlin had commented on the plane from the UK to New York. "Besides, what exactly are they, or you, going to do to stop me?"

* * *

 

Percival stared out the front windows of the cockpit. The stars outside were amazing. He had enjoyed chasing aliens with Torchwood, and spending time at New Camelot with Arthur and Merlin, but out here in space...he felt a thrill of exhilaration, unlike anything he had encountered before. The people he'd met, acquaintances and business associates of Leon, were fascinating. Some of them, very decidedly, were not human, but at least the majority were a lot more civilized than the ones who escaped through the Rift in Cardiff.

Like back in Camelot, Leon had taken Percival under his wing to teach him. This time, instead of the Code of Chivalry, it was the Smuggler's Code...a lifestyle of extortion and shady dealings. Percival had a much harder time accepting the way the elder knight, a man he had once admired for his honor and steadfast beliefs, seemed so at home in the dark of space. He supposed that much of it had to do with the fact Leon had lived so long.

The large knight had thought the changes in Merlin were a bit odd at first, but the warlock was still closer to the person he had been. In some ways, Mickey was more akin Elyan, than Leon was to his past self

Leon lived his life on the edge, and it appeared he had plenty of enemies, that made balancing along that edge very treacherous. Percival enjoyed his time spent with the ancient knight, even if he didn't agree with the values Leon now practiced.

The ship was parked on the dark side of the moon, high above the Earth. Hidden and nearly dark, as the only system running at full capacity was the cloaking shield. Everything else was just operating enough to keep life support going for him.

The broad-shouldered young man enjoyed these quiet times. The quiet hum of the generator in the background created white noise that lulled him into a meditative state.

Leon was down on the surface. Knowing that Gwaine was at the SGC, and judging by the time, the boys were probably at school. Percival guessed that he was visiting Laney before she had to head to work. Either that, or he was making a deal for something that he could sell for outrageous amounts out away from Earth.

"Tequila, from the agave plant...found only on Earth." Leon had informed Percival a while back. "Considered common here; fetches a nice price elsewhere. Nasty as this stuff is, and with the worm...Well, I doubt if I'd be drinking it."

Percival had scoffed at that. There didn't seem to be much Leon hadn't tried to drink, nor did he believe it would really be worth the effort to sell. He had been proven wrong at the first planet they visited, when a bidding war started among at least three of Leon's buyers over the golden liquor.

Whatever Leon was up to this time, it left Percival with little to do but wait.

"Not getting bored, are you?" A friendly voice said, startling the large knight.

Percival spun around. His gun, a gift from his friends at Torchwood, was ripped out of its holster against his rib cage, and in his hand in an instant.

Lancelot held up his hands in mock surrender. "It's just me, friend."

"Lancelot!" The bear of a man shouldered his gun. Smiling, he stepped forward to give the dark-eyed man a hug.

"Wish I could...but, I'm not really here. Well, I am." He corrected himself. "...Just not in a physical form."

"I have been hoping to see you again, since that day on the lake shore."

"I know. Things are a bit...complicated...right now."

"This whole world, or time, is complicated. So much has changed; people, most of all."

"Perhaps, not as much as you believe. What's seen on the outside is a way of protecting what truly matters deep down. Losing oneself in becoming a different person can be a defense mechanism. I've watched over them, and did what I could over the years to help them. Sometimes, it's not enough."

Percival nodded thoughtfully. "I'm glad you are here, my friend."

"Me, too." Lancelot crossed to the cockpit windows and looked out. The corner of his mouth tilted upward. "I don't have much more time. So, listen closely..."

* * *

 

"Any word, yet?" Leon asked, after teleporting onto the bridge. He broke open a crate that had beamed on board with him, and pulled out two brown, glass bottles. He passed one to Percival as he flopped casually into the seat next to the other knight.

"None." He said, accepting the beer. "Testing the merchandise?"

"Naw." He swung his feet up onto the control console. "This one is for personal consumption...especially, if we have to bring Gwaine aboard later."

"You know, he doesn't drink as much here, as he used to." Percival commented softly. In his mind, he used that one simple fact as a way to gauge the changes in them all over the past year. He snickered to himself. Lancelot was the most changed physically, and yet the most unchanged of them all.

Percival pondered telling Leon of the Ascended Knight's recent visit, but decided to keep the information to himself for the time being. What had been said, was more for Merlin to hear anyway, and the time wasn't right...yet.

Leon shrugged.

"Did you see Laney while you were there?"

Shaking his head, Leon took another swig of his beer and tried to sound nonchalant. "I don't always go and see her, you know."

Thinking more about changes, Percival found himself curious about the recent ones he had begun noticing in Leon. When they had gone to New Camelot the last time, Leon had slipped away after Merlin for a while. Percival knew the two immortal men had spoken, and something in that conversation had triggered a new change in Leon. For one, he hadn't been to see Gwaine's sister since that day. Although, that might have also had to do with Gwaine catching the two in the act not too long before. It was hard to say.

An indicator light to Leon's right, began blinking. "Looks like Merlin has sent us the Gate address. Shall we be off?"

* * *

 

Carter's eyes scanned the outskirts of the small town. The gray, stone buildings looked like something out of a Renaissance Faire. Brightly colored flags and banners were strung between buildings, fluttering in the light breeze. People milled around, going about their daily business behind a large, stone wall. A gated entrance stood open to the road-weary travelers. "Well, it certainly looks like a place where Merlin might have lived."*

Mitchell's head bobbed in indecision. He was walking next to the blond Colonel at the head of the group of travelers. "Oh, I wouldn't get too excited just yet. There could be dozens more villages in the area just like this one. No way to know for sure this is the right one."*

"I don't know." A blond man, near the middle of the group, responded skeptically. "Merlin, would you have lived here?"

"Piss off, Arthur." Came the retort, in a thick British accent.

They had already passed through two villages, after coming through the Stargate, with even less success in the second one, than they had in the first. Boredom was beginning to take its toll.

Up until then, the Americans had referred to him as Colonel Emrys. It was only after Arthur's sarcastic use of Merlin's name, as if it were almost a curse word...something Merlin had decided he did NOT miss about his former monarch...that the jokes had started. Although, Merlin was thankful that Gwaine hadn't accompanied them...or it could have been so much worse.

The complication that had come up back at the SGC wasn't to be taken lightly. Vala Mal Doran had temporarily taken over Jackson's body to pass on a message of great importance. The Ori were in the process of trying to build another Supergate...and this time, they also had a fleet warships set to come through the Gate the moment it was operational.

Gwaine was redirected back to SG-3. They were Gate-hopping, going from planet to planet, along with every other available SG team, searching for clues as to where the Supergate was located. Teal'c, the large Jaffa warrior, was touching base with his own allies. If these ships were as powerful as Vala claimed, every asset was going to be needed to fight them. Merlin and Arthur, knowledgeable of the real Camelot, were brought along to help find the weapon that had been hinted at in the Ancient Merlin's alien journal.

Decidedly sick of the jokes between Mitchell and Arthur, Carter's confusing scientific explanations, and Jackson continuously asking him more questions of myth versus reality than he was comfortable answering...Merlin was nearly at his wits' end.

For the most part, he had kept his cool; instead, focusing on what the members of SG-1 had been speaking about earlier; mulling many of the possibilities over in his mind.

It was Colonel Mitchell who had brought up the question originally.

_"Hey, has anyone stopped to think how this thing might possibly work? I mean, how do you kill something that's pure energy?"*_

_Daniel had adjusted his glasses and tried to explain, again. "Well, technically, Merlin's research didn't refer to killing. A better translation would be 'neutralizing' or 'cancelling out.'"*_

_"Well, it still begs a lot of questions. How do you aim at something you can't see?"*_

_"Clearly, it can't be a weapon in the conventional sense. See, Ascended Beings transcend ordinary space-time as we know it. This device would have to do the same thing."*_

_"So...it would have to do something similar to the device Carter and Dr. Lee created to negate the Prior's energy?" Gwaine asked during the briefing, in an attempt to be helpful. The device had been modified, utilizing the radioactive signature of a sword piece that had been taken out of Arthur's chest. Unfortunately, the half-life was rather short, and it soon lost all its potency. The two scientists, along with other researchers, had yet to fully replicate the properties._

_They hoped to find something similar, or even better, here on this planet._

_"It's possible, but it would have to be something where the energy was much more stable." Carter admitted._

_Scoffing and rolling his eyes at his teammates, Mitchell hit the nail on the head. "In other words, you have no idea what it might be."*_

_"Yeah, pretty much, that's it."* Daniel agreed._

_Merlin and Arthur shared a silent communication. Neither man was ready to let the SGC members know they had such an item. Currently, it was back in Leon's possession on board the knight's Tel'tak cargo ship; that should be on its way to their location. Depending on what was discovered here on this planet, they had discussed heading straight off into space, instead of back through the Stargate._

_The biggest question that plagued his mind, if the weapon and the sword were one and the same...how would a single sword be used to fight a massive army with spaceships._

Colonel Carter's voice broke through Merlin's thoughts.

"Well, this looks promising." She stated.

The group approached the town square, filled with merchants and horses. The mud on the road was thicker in some places. Merlin realized another thing he much preferred in the modern world was the cleanliness of the streets. He saw the glimmer of longing in Arthur's eyes, perhaps not for the mud, but for the lifestyle that was still fairly fresh in the king's memories.

The townsfolk began whispering as they approached, and many began to gather together in groups, eyeing the newcomers with suspicion.

"Well, there's one thing this village has that the others were missing." Cameron said with a smile.

"Running water?" Merlin asked sarcastically.

Daniel gestured to the center of the square. "No, but...Well, there's…that."

A massive square stone marked the center of the courtyard. The perfectly smooth, gray sides remained clean of any of the dirt and muck surrounding it. From the very center, protruded a gleaming steel sword with a black hilt and cross-piece. The members of SG-1 recognized it as being identical to the one they had uncovered in the cavern system beneath the lake of Avalon, where they had found the stasis pods containing Arthur and his family.

Arthur and Merlin stood side by side. Their heads tilted simultaneously to the left, while nearly identical looks of mortification and humor crossed their faces. "Merlin, is that...?"

Merlin shook his head slowly. "Doesn't look anything like it, unless my memory has really begun to falter."

"No...I don't recall it looking like that either."

"What, you don't recognize the sword in a stone? Put there by the Lady of the Lake, a woman who was said to be either a priestess or a fae spirit of the water, for the One True Ruler." Daniel asked jokingly. He wasn't quite prepared for the completely raucous laughter that came from Arthur and Merlin.

Arthur's face was strained, as he tried to calm his amusement. "Lady of the Lake...water spirit...whoever heard of such nonsense."

The mirth was suddenly gone from Merlin. His eyes burned into Arthur.

The blond man choked on the last chuckles. "Are you seriously suggesting there was a Lady of the Lake?"

Merlin cringed inwardly. He shook his head of the memories that came. "Maybe another time, Arthur." While he had explained some of the history of Arthur's sword, Merlin had neglected to tell the former king about the first time he'd thrown it into the lake. Instead, he had skipped to the part of putting it in the stone, himself.

Daniel cleared his throat loudly, moving past the sudden awkwardness of the situation. "Anyway...I guess we should at least check it out. Maybe this time, Mitchell, you can try to NOT pull it, until we've figured out what it does?"

An elderly man came forward from a crowd of villagers, who had gathered to gape and stare at the newcomers. He was dressed in a fancy outfit, much richer than the others around him. He smiled at them, but was obviously nervous. Wringing his hands, he blinked and stuttered, "Travelers. I am Meurik, Governor of this village. Welcome to Camelot."*


	9. Chapter 9

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> * denotes the borrowed transcript dialogue from SG-1 episode 920

**  
Chapter Nine:**

* * *

He didn't mind taking orders. In some way or form, whether it was from his father, or his teachers, or simply from the mantle of kingship, Arthur had always followed orders. The thing that was bugging him, was trying to stay in the background as Antonius, the village historian they had been introduced to, spoke of Arthur's life.

"Welcome to Camelot. Past and future home of King Arthur and his Round Table."* Antonius had greeted enthusiastically.

"Sorry, future home?"* Colonel Carter asked.

What followed was a shortened version of Arthur's history. Although, according to Meurik, Arthur wasn't wounded at Camlann, but instead left the planet with his knights shortly after, in search of the Sangraal.

Antonius concluded his tale. "That was long ago, but we know in our hearts that one day, he will return to us."*

Glancing around the tavern, it wasn't a bad little town, Arthur thought. There was something about it, and the other villages they had passed through, that made his skin crawl. It was wrong, it was all too planned. Nothing seemed to have evolved naturally.

Merlin stood stoically off to the side, while the others sat around the table.

Daniel glanced over at him, and turned back to the village elders. "Um, what happened to Merlin when he left?"*

Meurik became suddenly flustered and bid them all a good day hastily, before standing up and leaving the tavern.

"Did I offend him?*" Daniel's eyes widened in confusion.

"Not at all. It's just that…" Antonius lowered his voice and leaned in. "Merlin's name is rarely mentioned in public. Many believe he was a wizard of darkness. He may have tried to do good, but there was always potential for great mischief in his heart. Thankfully, he has neither been seen nor heard of since Arthur's departure. The library where he practiced his strange arts remains sealed to this day."*

"We'd like to see this library." Arthur announced, tired of taking a back seat.

Antonius blinked in surprise. "I'm afraid that's impossible. The library is protected by a powerful curse. It is said that all those who enter Merlin's sanctuary forfeit their lives to its guardian...the Black Knight."*

* * *

 

"Okay. So, best case scenario: this Curse of the Black Knight is a story Ancient Merlin made up to scare off the locals...Worst case scenario: he's got another holographic knight protecting his goods like he did back in England."*

Daniel squinted and glanced around the square. "The point is, the last time it was a test designed to measure a challenger's worth. This time, it sounds more like a defense mechanism set up to protect Ancient Merlin's research, which means it could be a lot tougher, and the same rules might not apply."*

"Oh, come on! You mean you don't want me to get my ass beat by another holographic knight? I've had practice since then; personal training from one of the real Knights of the Round Table." Mitchell exclaimed sarcastically to Daniel, as they stood in front of the sword and stone, just outside the tavern.

Arthur grinned and clapped his hands together. "Good thing you brought a real swordsman this time, then." He began to move forward, and was stopped by Mitchell's hand on his chest.

"Hold up there, your Majesty. No one's touching it, just yet." Mitchell eyed the stone thoughtfully.

Glowering at Mitchell, Arthur took a step back. He was a man of action, and all this beating around the bush had become annoying.

"I think we should split up and look around."* Carter suggested.

* * *

 

"Surrender, Mordred!"* A young girl of nearly fourteen, called out. She had mousy, brown hair that stuck out from under hat. Even in the long skirts, she was nimble as she ran past.

"Never!"* A boy, perhaps two or three years younger, cried in response. The sound of their wooden swords clashing, echoed through the streets. Suddenly, the girl had her sword at the boy's throat, demanding that he yield. With a crestfallen expression, he did. "I yield, but next time, I want to be Arthur."*

Arthur looked on, in stunned fascination. He'd never thought to see children, re-enacting his last battle...or what this world's version of it might have been. Deep in his chest, he felt a ghost of pain shoot through him. The light of the moon above, and the torches scattered on the ground, came back to him. Lightning bolts flashed down from the top of the escarpment, and dragon fire engulfed corpses of friend and foe. He smelled the air, and tasted the metallic particles on his tongue from the blood that surrounded him.

He looked into the blue eyes of the young man in front of him. They were hard and cold; no sign left of the promising knight. He was caught completely unaware as the sword pierced just below his rib cage. In a last desperate bid for victory, he felt his own sword bite into the young man's flesh. The steel of his opponent's eyes softened, and Mordred actually smiled. Arthur could never fathom why. Was it because his vengeance had been taken, or was he thanking Arthur for a release from his own emotional pain?

The next voice he heard was that of the old man, so familiar and comforting. 'Arthur...'

"Arthur?"

Daniel Jackson's voice pulled him out of the trance. He blinked and found his breath coming in ragged gasps.

"Arthur, are you alright?"

He waved the archaeologist away. "Fine." He looked over at the children. They were just kids, playing at a war they only knew about from their history lessons.

Mitchell was giving them a sword lesson. Arthur couldn't help but admire how much, despite the teasing earlier, the man had improved since their first battle. If Mitchell had been around back in the days of his Camelot, he would have considered knighting the man.

Arthur and Daniel approached, as Mitchell finished. The Colonel was talking to the kids, asking them if they knew where to find Merlin's library.

The girl seemed nervous at first, but soon relented and led the three men to an alleyway, not far from the square. They stood before a rather nondescript doorway, that obviously hadn't seen anyone pass through in quite a while.

Daniel reached for the handle. He pulled away with a start; shocked by an invisible force shield.

"The door is magicked." The girl then explained, "There is a key, but no one dares use it."*

Nursing the electrical burn on his hand, Daniel asked, "Where would we find this key?"*

"It is kept in the village archives."*

* * *

 

"We don't need the key." Merlin was bored, listening to the others debate. Daniel had left, just moments before the rain started, to find Antonius to see if he had the key that would unlock the door of the library. Arthur and Mitchell were plotting out strategies, in case there were defense measures in place. Meanwhile Carter was offering her technical expertise on possibly disabling any device they might run across in their search.

The warlock had a feeling, based on all he had heard throughout the day, that his magic would get them through the door just as easily as any key, and they wouldn't have to involve any of the townsfolk. True to form though, Arthur had teamed up with someone he unconsciously deemed his equal, in order to make battle plans for the coming night. It seemed that after all they had come through, Arthur still proved to be the royal prat he'd always been.

With a shake of his head, Merlin decided not to push the issue. "Going out for a walk!" He announced. The other three barely acknowledged his departure.

He pulled the brim of his hat over his eyes, and stepped out into the rain. The others could wait for the key if they wanted to, but Merlin always had a bit of trouble being a team player, in certain situations. If they had needed some sort of aircraft built or repaired, he wouldn't have hesitated to step up. When it came to using his magic, however, he still kept mostly to the shadows around people he wasn't completely familiar with. The members of SG-1 were good people, but he didn't know them well enough to call them friends.

They didn't exactly believe in his magic either, calling it, instead, 'innate abilities linked to evolutionary divergences'...or something of the sort. He'd known it as 'magic' for too many centuries to call it anything else. Lya had been gracious enough to acknowledge that it was partially just a difference in semantics, but also that there was something more to it than the others could ever begin to discover.

Thanks to Dr. Lam, there was now a specific genetic marker that could possibly explain what gave him his unique abilities, but that was a long way off from the 'why and how.' The Nox had been able to help fill in some of the history of who he was, and where the dragons had come from, but there was still the question of how the dragons gained their abilities in the first place.

Merlin paused underneath an overhang. The rain fell lightly around him. The street he was on, was mostly deserted. Many of the town's inhabitants were either in the market, or staying dry inside their houses.

He waited for a young couple to pass, and the street he was on to be empty, before he moved into an adjoining alleyway. Merlin hadn't actually seen the door to the library, but he felt reasonably assured that he would be able to find the place, based on the others' descriptions.

Smirking as he made his way quietly down the muddy path, he realized he wouldn't have needed their directions. He felt the door as he neared it. Whether it was advanced technology or magic, the energy signature was similar. Holding his hand out toward the door, he pushed lightly against the shield with his magic. Just as he suspected, it granted him entrance without any issue.

Glancing around once more to be certain he wasn't seen, he slipped inside. He didn't even consider pulling out the flashlight out. Holding his palm open, he summoned a light and began evaluating the room. Bookshelves were along every wall, covered in dust and cobwebs that had lain undisturbed for generations. Merlin hadn't a clue on where to start.

For a moment, he felt a sense of helplessness, but he soon discarded it and pushed it to the back of his mind, recognizing it as a manifestation of his dying bond to Aithusa. He drew on the mental training he had gained through his life. It had become more difficult lately to focus his mind. Years ago, he had been able to spend days in silent meditation. Now, it was hard to concentrate at that level for more than an hour or two at a time.

"Think, Merlin." He said out loud to himself. "If this was my library, where would I hide something special?"

His eyes immediately fell onto a set of shelves above the rest, in an alcove. He smiled and walked directly over to it. The books seemed carelessly placed on the shelves, unlike the rest of the room. His fingers traced the air just millimeters from the bindings of most of the books, sensing for the hidden key he knew to be there. Blue eyes sparkled as his gaze landed on one book that appeared no different from the rest, except that it was stuck out slightly further on the shelf.

Behind it, he could sense the trigger. He gave it a gentle mental nudge, and the entire bookshelf swung open, revealing stairs leading down.

His feet barely touched the floor at the bottom of the descent, when braziers along the walls flared to life; illuminating a large empty room.

In the center stood a pedestal, maybe eight feet long and four feet wide, and just as tall. Stepping up to it, he noticed the top surface was made of separate tiles, each one approximately a foot square. Engraved on each was writing Merlin had recently discovered was the language of the Alterans. It was obviously some sort of control panel.

He pulled a notebook and pencil out of his pack, and begin to work on deciphering the symbols.

* * *

 

He was so engrossed in translating, that he failed to notice the passage of time. The call through his radio caused him to jump.

"Emrys. Report in." Mitchell's disembodied voice ordered.

Fumbling for the button, Merlin keyed the radio. "Yes, Colonel Mitchell. What can I do for you?"

"Where the hell are you?"

"The library. I found a..."

"How the hell can you be in there? Never mind...probably used your magic voodoo powers or something, right?"

"Well, actually..."

"Listen we're outside with Antonius. He's got the key, and we've been looking for you."

Merlin scowled at the radio. "I tried to tell you we didn't need it... _and_ that I was stepping out."

Arthur's impatient voice was the next one he heard. "Next time...TRY HARDER!"

Merlin responded with a roll of his eyes. Turning off the radio, he tossed it on top of his pack. He went back to his work.

It was a few hours later, when the others finally found their way down into the secret room. Merlin didn't even look up to see them. "Took you long enough."

"Maybe we would have had better luck, if someone hadn't turned off their radio." Mitchell's sarcasm cut through the room.

"An Ancient control device!" Daniel actually sounded shocked to see it.

Mitchell appeared slightly disappointed. "So, not a puzzle then. Any idea what it controls?"

"Not a clue." The archaeologist admitted.

Merlin sighed and held out his notes. "I've managed to get a bit of it." A large yawn escaped him.

"Merlin, get some rest." Arthur said in a voice that left no room for argument.

The warlock shrugged and moved away from the device. He was feeling the strain of the magic he had used. The look from Arthur told him that his friend was able to see it. If it weren't for the members of SG-1 with them, Merlin was sure the former king would have had a few choice words to say about it.

No sooner than he had just begun to settle in against a wall to relax, when a scream from somewhere up in the town broke through the quiet.

They all raced up the stairs and out into the street. Nearby, at another house, men of the village were gathering.

Pushing past the townsmen, Carter reached the object of their concern. Antonius' body laid on the floor, a large gash across his chest. Carter searched for a pulse. "He's dead." She told them all quietly.

* * *

 

The mood of the village was subdued the next morning. In the tavern, some of the townsfolk had gathered. They kept a with berth around the table closest to the door, where the five people from Earth sat, treating the visitors with suspicion and hatred.

Meurik came barging through the door. His face was filled with barely controlled rage. Slamming a book down on the table, he glared at each one of them. "How do you explain this? Antonius had it with him when he was killed."

Carter tried to offer an apologetic explanation, while Meurik continued to rant about them being responsible for waking Merlin's curse, and killing Antonius.

"Look, it wasn't supposed to go down like that. We figured if the knight was going to appear, it would be in the chamber, and he wouldn't go after anybody but us." Mitchell said, attempting to get Meurik to see their point of view.

Daniel rubbed the bridge of his nose in exasperation. "The Black Knight is not part of any curse. He isn't magical and he isn't unbeatable."

Glancing at Merlin, Arthur received a nod of encouragement. It was obvious that the idea of technology went far above the heads of the simple villagers, much like it had initially for Arthur.

"I know how you feel, Meurik. I too, have lost many people I have cared about to the evils of magic. Where I am from, all magic was banned, punishable by death." He drew strength from seeing that the governor's attention was fully on him. "However, awakening the curse was not our intention. There is an enemy, greater than any magic I have known, called the Ori. They are out there now, among the stars, and they seek to destroy any who refuse to bow down in submission before them." Arthur caught a glimpse of Merlin's eyes, filled with pride and silently supporting him.

"We learned that a long time ago, Merlin was working on a weapon that could be used against them...and the key to finding that weapon is inside that library."* Daniel explained to the enraptured villagers, who had gathered around while Arthur was speaking.

Meurik fumbled for a moment, before he found the strength to argue. "I have never seen nor heard of these Ori, but we have witnessed the power of the Black Knight. Leave this village. Take the curse with you."*

The governor exited the tavern before the persuasive blond man could open his mouth again.

Daniel slouched onto the table. "Well, we can't just give up."*

Carter put a hand on his arm. "Daniel, we're not exactly welcome here anymore."*

"Don't you see, this is exactly what Merlin wanted."* He shook off her hand as he stood up, and began pacing in small circles. "Why do you think he designed the Black Knight to attack in the village, and not the chamber? To incite terror. If he just killed whoever was inside the chamber, then there'd be no great public incentive to keep people out. You'd go in at your own risk, and there'd always be someone foolish enough to give it a try."*

"I disagree." The others turned to Merlin. He motioned to the book Meurik left on the table. "Antonius brought it upon himself, when he took the book out of the library."

"Are you saying, if we return it, the Black Knight will shut off?" Mitchell asked warily.

"Doubtful."

"Whatever the reason, the point is that Ancient Merlin designed it that way, because he was worried that someone might stumble onto the solution. Which means there is a solution, and it's inside that chamber."*

"Well, that's great..."* Mitchell rolled his eyes. "...But how does it help us now?"*

Daniel shook his head. "I don't know. Just, give me a little time to talk to these people. If I can get some of them on our side, we might be able to get Meurik to reconsider."*

* * *

 

"Only he who is pure of heart, and true of spirit, can pull the sword from the stone. It is said, Arthur will not return from his quest, until one among us succeeds in removing it."* Valencia, the girl Mitchell had sparred with on their first day in the village, said when she approached the Air Force Colonel.

"You ever try it?"* Mitchell asked. He had been pacing around the stone, looking for clues to shutting the curse off. Merlin sat nearby on a crate, going over his notes about the device, while they waited for the other three to talk sense into Meurik.

Valencia giggled, "Of course not. It is for the young men preparing to be knights to test themselves with the sword. When Arthur does come back, he will need knights to join him on his next crusade. The men of this village will be ready to serve him."*

Merlin snorted as he eavesdropped on the conversation. "If they only knew." He muttered softly. His eyes lifted and he hopped off the crate. Meurik and the others were heading their way.

"Valencia, leave us."* He told the girl. She scurried off, fearful of finding herself in trouble. "You abuse my tolerant nature, Colonel."*

"I take it, it didn't go so well."* Mitchell assumed out loud.

"Not really."* Daniel confirmed.

Arthur was seething. They were being forced to leave the village. He had suggested to Daniel, on their way to talk sense into Meurik, that he should tell the governor who he really was. As a last resort, the archaeologist had agreed. Unfortunately, that seemed to be the last straw for the governor. He accused them of blasphemy. It appeared that their ideal version of King Arthur was more of an elder religious figure, than a real life man, barely into his thirties.

"These men will escort you to the Great Ring, and ensure that you leave as requested."* He stated at the village gates.

Daniel tried one last time to explain the situation. "Look, you're making a mistake. There is no curse. Now, the Black Knight is a science feature, created by Merlin through the use of science and advanced technology. There is no magic involved..."*

A large beam of white light suddenly engulfed SG-1, and when it faded, the villagers, including Meurik, were left in stunned silence. They clung to each other in fear, and stared frightfully at the spot where the visitors had been standing, just seconds before.


	10. Chapter 10

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> *denotes transcripts borrowed from SG-1 ep 920, used for plot development.

"SG-1. Welcome aboard the Odyssey."* Colonel Emerson smiled in greeting.

Merlin looked around and noticed they were now on the bridge of a ship. He saw the planet they had just been on, highlighted on a screen nearby.

"Colonel. What's going on?"* Mitchell asked. There had been no prior warning for their sudden extraction off of the planet, which could only mean bad news.

"Change of plans."* Emerson explained, directing their attention to the display screen on the wall. "We received a subspace transmission from a Jaffa vessel near P3Y-229. They were investigating some unusual energy readings. This is what they found."*

Pressing a series of buttons on a remote, the image changed from the planet below them to a vast region of space. SG-1 stared at it, trying to figure out what they were seeing.

"When we enhance the image…"* The commander of the Odyssey needed no other words as a magnified view of the region became clear.

Carter's eyes widened. "A fully formed Supergate."*

"My orders were to pick you up and proceed immediately to the Supergate. Unfortunately, the Daedalus is still in the Pegasus Galaxy, but the Korolev will be joining us as soon as possible."*

"I didn't think it was operational yet."* Carter mentioned skeptically. The Korolev was the most recently built ship of the Tau'ri fleet. During recent negotiations, outside of the IOA's watchful eyes, an agreement had been reached to give it to the Russians.

"It's been rushed into service. We're to meet up with as many Jaffa and Tok'ra ships as we can muster, and destroy that thing by whatever means necessary."* Emerson turned to a man sitting at a nearby console. "Set a course."*

"Wait a minute! We can't go yet."* Daniel exclaimed

"We don't have any more time, Doctor. By all indications, that Space Gate's operational. There's no telling when the Ori are going to start sending ships through."*

"Then, leave us behind." Arthur suggested. "Merlin and I would be useless on board, while you are focusing on the Ori Gate."

"Speak for yourself." Merlin snickered, even though he agreed with his friend. He gave Arthur a cheeky smile.

"Colonel." Daniel pleaded, "I believe the key to defeating the Ori is on that planet. I know it."*

Carter studied the three men offering to stay behind. "Daniel, even if you're right, the villagers are never going to let you back in the library."*

"I'll get us in there." Merlin stated confidently.

Emerson considered their suggestion for a moment. "Alright, you get one more chance."*

"I'll go with them."* Mitchell shrugged off Daniel's questioning glance. "A little quality time...and that Black Knight might show up again."*

"We'll have the Russians swing by and pick you up on the way through. You have until then."* Emerson agreed.

* * *

 

"Carter!" Gwaine's voice carried through the corridor.

She paused and waited for him to catch up. "Hey, Dallon. What are you doing here?"

"SG-3 got back just before the intel came in on the Supergate. Landry gave me permission to come on board and help out, since some of the crew went to the Korolev." He glanced around, hoping to see Merlin or Arthur.

Sam noticed his wandering gaze. "They beamed back down to the planet with Daniel and Cam. They think they're close to finding the weapon." She explained how the Russian vessel would be picking them up, on her way through.

"Damn." If he had known, he would have been on the bridge to meet them, and gone with them back to the planet. It was ridiculous, all this jumping around, trying to play catch up with everything. He knew he was being impatient, but he was sick of trying so hard to fit in somewhere in the SGC structure. His new Commanding Officer, Reynolds, was a great guy, and Gwaine got along with the SG-3 team well enough, but he knew even that was just supposed to be a temporary assignment.

The planned mission to PX1-767 was going to be like old times. Courage, Magic, and Strength...back together again...along with the members of SG-1.

Carter chuckled and nudged his shoulder. "Come on, you can help me out in the lab." She offered sympathetically.

* * *

 

Merlin wavered slightly when the four of them materialized inside the library. Arthur reached out a hand to steady his friend. The Odyssey had beamed them to a spot just outside the village. The shield in the library blocked them from teleporting directly in with the Asgard beaming technology. The warlock's magic worked in a different manner and he was able to complete the journey for them.

"So, what now?"* Mitchell asked.

"My guess is we can shut down the Black Knight by inputting the correct code sequence on that control panel."* He picked up a book and motioned for the others to do the same.

"Merlin's PIN number?"* Mitchell asked with a smirk on his face, directed at Colonel Emrys.

Daniel glanced between them. "Yeah, something like that."*

"If I ever find this bloke, I'm going to be giving him a serious piece of my mind." Grumbling, Merlin picked up a book and began thumbing through it. He looked at Arthur with raised eyebrows, encouraging him to join them in searching.

Arthur groaned and picked up the nearest book. He blew across the surface, and dust went flying. He coughed and waved his hand in the air, scowling while the other men chuckled at his misfortune.

Mitchell grinned at the former king. ""You do realize we're on the clock, right?"*

"Yes, we are." Merlin responded and snapped his book shut. He scanned the vast amount of book-filled shelves. "...And there is an easier way to do this."

"Merlin..."

"We don't have a choice, Arthur." He drew in a deep breath and centered his thoughts. "What exactly are we looking for, Dr. Jackson?"

"Uh, any mention of the Black Knight would probably be the most helpful." Daniel responded, already beginning to search through the pages.

Merlin nodded, "Find the books you think will have the best chance first, and stack them in a semi-circle around me."

Arthur walked over to his friend, and took him by the elbow. "Are you sure you want to do this?"

"We don't have much of a choice."

"There's always a choice, Merlin." Arthur said. He felt overprotective of his friend, since finding out about his connection to the dying, and lost, dragon. He had seen the effects on Merlin when he used his magic lately. Even smaller, simple spells were beginning to take a toll. Transporting the four of them into the library had visibly strained him, but he pushed through. Now, with him wanting to search magically through the the volumes of text, he worried about his friend's health. Arthur hoped that once they found what they were looking for, they might have an opportunity to either rest before the Russian vessel arrived...or better yet...beam onto Leon's ship. With the sword on hand, it might give Merlin a bit of a boost.

"We have to find a way to stop this device and the knight, and it's not like we brought your sword along, is it?" Merlin said, almost as if he had read Arthur's mind.

"Whoa, what sword?" Mitchell cocked his head to the side in curiosity.

Merlin's eyes shifted to the Colonel. "Excalibur."

"Like the real deal, Excalibur?"

"Yes, forged from a dragon's breath, similar to the piece that was pulled out of Arthur by your surgeons. It is able to kill something that is already dead. It was created for fighting the real Black Knight, who was actually the wraith of Tristan De Bois."

"What?" Arthur's voice was barely a whisper, but it seemed to reverberate through the room.

Merlin cringed, "The Black Knight was the spirit of your uncle, summoned forth from the dead by Nimueh, and intent on revenge for his sister's death."

Arthur wanted to ask more, but he knew this was neither the time, nor the place. The other men seemed to sense it as well.

Daniel looked up from the book he was scanning. His voice dripped with annoyance. "The real Excalibur? Wow...you should have told us. We could have been studying it this whole time to figure out a way to defeat the Ori, if it had similar properties to the piece that was pulled out of his chest!"

Merlin chuckled, "Let your scientists study it? I think not. Who knows what those idiots would do to it. It's a very powerful weapon."

"Exactly." Mitchell tapped his fingers on the top of his P-90. "We could have been looking for a way to replicate its properties on a larger scale."

"There is more to this than just a sword. I'm not about to chance losing it, before we have the full picture."

"Yeah, and thanks for sharing a piece of that picture with us...We really appreciate it. We could have been working on the 'full picture' together!" Mitchell yelled.

"Enough!" Arthur roared, "We can argue about this later. Merlin, are you sure you want to do this?"

Merlin nodded.

Arthur began stacking books, like Merlin had requested. The other two looked at each other and shrugged, before following suit.

"So...why exactly are we doing this?" Mitchell asked Arthur.

Merlin was sitting in the middle of the pile in deep meditation. Arthur paused and studied his friend for a minute.

"Just watch. It's actually a rather amazing thing to behold, but we probably have only one shot at it, before the idiot passes out from exhaustion." He carefully moved around the piles, and touched Merlin lightly on the shoulder. He had only seen Merlin do this trick once, and it was more just the warlock showing off in his own library. It made a great party trick. This time, the situation was much more serious. The lives of not only the villagers, but others throughout the galaxy, depended on finding a needle of words, in a haystack of books.

Merlin spread his hands out over the piles. The others jumped back when his eyes opened to reveal molten, gold fire. The covers of the books on top of the piles flew open, and the pages began to flip rapidly. One book fell open and stopped its fluttering. "There." Merlin said. Another book did the same. "...And there."

Arthur quickly grabbed one of the open books handed if off to Daniel, realizing that it would go much quicker if they all helped out. He snatched up the other one, as well. Books on other stacks reached their back covers without pausing. Mitchell caught on quickly, and moved them off to the side, so that the next level of the piles could be scanned through. "Go-go Gadget: Bookworm!"

They soon developed a rhythm, and the stack of open books in front of Daniel grew with passages for him to read, but it was nothing compared to the pile of books that were being discarded. In less than an hour, Merlin's magic had narrowed down the vast library down to approximately fifty books worth reading.

The final book opened with a loud thud. Illuminated in faded ink upon the page, was a chalice. Arthur saw it and recognized the picture. He quickly shoved the book over to the discard pile, and closed it. Not knowing why he did such a thing, he silently blamed it on Merlin...the warlock's instinct and gut feelings appeared to be wearing off on him.

Unfortunately, the thud from Merlin, falling over in exhaustion, followed the sound of the book.

* * *

 

Daniel snapped the last book shut loudly. "That's it."*

Sitting in a chair near the door, Arthur glanced up at the archaeologist with hopeful eyes. Other than that, there was no other reaction.

The former king had taken up the position of keeping watch, when he realized he didn't understand what to look for in the books. Merlin was laid out on the floor, sleeping off his exhaustion from the overuse of magic. Assuring the others that Merlin would be fine once he got some rest, they left him alone. He was sure they saw through his flimsy explanation, but they had let it slide for the time being.

Daniel turned around and spied Mitchell. His legs were propped up on a table. His eyes were closed and his mouth hung open, with a bit of drool escaping from the corner. One of the tomes laid open on his chest. Moving over to the Colonel, Daniel dropped the book loudly on the table.

Mitchell jolted awake.

Arthur snickered from across the room. It was such a familiar scene of brotherly teasing. He glanced at Merlin and thought about the many times they had done similar things to each other. Thankfully though, Merlin hadn't even twitched from the thunk.

"Sorry, didn't mean to wake you."* Daniel said unapologetically to his teammate.

Stretching as he stood, Arthur made his way over to the table. "Did you find something?"

"Yeah, I've cross-referenced half a dozen passages that mention the Black Knight. Now, there's a series of recurring words and phrases that stand out, if you know what you're looking for."*

Mitchell came fully awake. "Are we talking access code?"*

"I think so."* Picking up a stack of books, Daniel headed to the stairway and motioned the others to follow.

"Hey, what about sleeping beauty over there?" Mitchell pointed over to where Merlin still slept.

"I'll stay here with him." Arthur said.

Mitchell nodded and jogged after Daniel.

"Are they gone?" Merlin's hoarse whisper made Arthur smile.

"Yes. I knew you were faking."

"No, you didn't." Merlin struggled to sit up. He rubbed his temples. He blinked and looked around the library. "There was a book...It..."

Arthur grinned mischievously. Making sure the other two were gone, he retrieved the book he'd shifted into the discard pile. "It was the last one that opened. When I saw the picture, I figured it might be something different than what they were looking for." He flipped through the pages and found the one he had seen previously. "Look familiar?"

Nodding slowly, Merlin reached for the book. "Yes, it does. I was showing it to Leon, just this last week." He snickered at the way Arthur rolled his eyes.

Suddenly, screams of terror rang out through the village. Merlin quickly stuffed the book into his pack, as he heard Mitchell's heavy footsteps running up the stairs.

"Morning, Glory!" He called, noticing that Merlin was awake. "See if you can give Daniel a hand. Arthur, you're with me."

* * *

 

Being a visitor, and not officially qualified with any of the weapons, Arthur felt useless running next to Mitchell. The Colonel had his firearm ready as they rounded a corner, into the courtyard of the town square.

"Oh, boy."* Mitchell breathed out. Squinting, he scanned his surroundings and yelled, "Everybody down!"* He raised his weapon and fired at the figure of the knight. As before, the bullets passed through the holographic man in armor.

"Is that what I looked liked, when you fought me?" Arthur's eyes evaluated the knight.

"Pretty much. We need to keep him busy until Jackson can shut it off."

Arthur scoffed at the image. "That armor isn't even worth trying to win in a joust."

"Seriously?" Mitchell asked, "Big dude with sword that we can't hit, is looking to take us down, and you're window shopping?"

He shrugged. It would have been hard to explain to the Colonel at that moment. Evaluating an opponent's armor meant a lot more where he came from, than just dressing the part. The armor told the history of the man wearing it. Was it a solid suit, perhaps commissioned by a wealthy noble for a single tournament? Was it castle-forged for a prince or king, who needed to inspire his men on the field...or was it piecemealed together; each part of it won through hard work and battle?

Did the knight take care of it himself, polishing each piece by hand? Did he have a squire or a servant? Were there imperfections and scars upon its surface, silently telling of combat it had seen?

What Arthur saw didn't impress him. The armor was just for show. It looked thin and unblemished. The chainmail coifs that hung out below the helm, and from under the breastplate, were long and flimsy, not meant to provide protection. He sighed. Whoever had put this so-called knight together had certainly gone for appearances, more than function.

The knight turned towards them. He spun his long sword skillfully in one hand, before grasping it with both hands and holding it out in front of him in a ready stance. Mitchell tossed his P-90 to the side, and tried to rush past the knight. He faked to the right and then darted left, jumping valiantly over a cart, and landing with a roll on the muddy ground.

Arthur watched as Mitchell dodged blow after blow from the knight. His hands clenched achingly for his sword. He saw a few blades on a table, just the other side of where the fight was occurring. Something held him back. This was the fight he had been looking for, and he felt himself rooted to the ground.

He'd sparred against Merlin and his knights. He was a half-conscious spectator when Mitchell had fought against the hologram, based on Arthur's own combat memories and experiences. The last true fight the King of Camelot had been in, however, was the one that had ended his reign.

The Black Knight was gaining the upper hand. Mitchell's cry of pain, as the sword cut through his back, shook Arthur back to reality. He felt the will to fight stirring within him. According to these people, he had been victorious over Mordred, and escaped the battle alive. He looked up at the table across the square.

Mitchell had noticed the swords on the table, as well. He dove towards it, and managed to grab hold of one. Ducking under the knight's swing, Mitchell managed to cut back and forth across the knees. The sword passed through, just as the bullets had done.

Arthur heard the girl from their first day in the village yell, "Do something! Help him!"* Her words were directed at the governor, but the man didn't move.

A burst of adrenaline set his feet in motion. Arthur rushed through the crowd, skirting around the battle as Mitchell was hit yet again. The knight's sword left a swathe of energy in its wake. If what the members of SG-1 had said was true, the sword in the stone was possibly connected to the knight. Seeing it as his only option, he reached the stone and wrapped his hand around the grip.

* * *

 

Mud oozed up between his fingers, as he fell forward. Each blow landed by the knight sent shocks through his body, like a taser sending jolts of electricity through his system.

He somehow managed to turn himself over just as the knight held up his sword, ready to plunge it down into Mitchell's body a final time.

He closed his eyes and sent out a silent plea for help.


	11. Chapter 11

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> * is borrowed transcript from Stargate episode 9.20 "Camelot" This is the last chapter that will follow canon so closely. There will be a few lines here or there after this, but it starts going a lot more AU after this chapter. {1} is borrowed transcript from Merlin episode 3x13 The Coming of Arthur part 2. Neither are mine, just the twisted way I add them to my plot!
> 
> Hope the new year is treating you all well! Huge thanks to Nance for proofing (any remaining errors are my own), IcarusLSU for making me laugh with the damn toilet bowl comment.
> 
> Thank you so much, everyone who has commented, followed, bookmarked, etc! I would love to hear from more of you who are enjoying this. Feedback literally feeds my muses!

* * *

Nearly every inch of the floor around the platform was instantly filled with treasure, as Daniel pushed the final sequence on the square panels of the device. He shared a look with Merlin. They had done it.

An echoing voice filled the room. The image of an elderly man in pale, silk robes, and a matching conical hat that was bent at the top, stood before them. The only item of importance Merlin noticed was a large, dark red stone hanging from a gold chain around the image's neck.

"Greetings, friend. I am Merlin."* The hologram announced in a pleasant voice.

"Yes, you are."* Daniel responded in awe.

"No, he's not." Merlin snorted derisively.

"He was an Ancient, and much older than you. So, I'm thinking that in this circumstance...yes, he is."

"Well, he's not here. He's probably dead. So, no he's not. His name was Moros, by the way."

Daniel shook his head and bit his tongue. "He's not dead. He Ascended."

"Then descended again, according to you and the Nox, before disappearing...and it's my name now."

Daniel relented with an exasperated sigh. "Okay, fine. You're Merlin. He's a hologram of an Ancient _you_ were probably named after."

Pausing for a moment to think Daniel's words through, Merlin found he couldn't argue. "Hmm...good point."

"Glad to see you're feeling better."

"Isn't it, though?" He was awake, and pushing through the pain. He wouldn't say it was actually better, but he wasn't about to admit that to the archaeologist.

The hologram had played through its initial message, and began repeating it again. "The prize you seek, like the pendulum swing, marks the passage of all that is before you."*

Daniel keyed the microphone on his radio. "Mitchell, we did it! Is the Black Knight gone?"*

Mitchell's voice came through. "Not exactly!"*

"I don't understand."* He stared at the control panel. "We got the treasure, and activated the hologram."*

"Try a different code!"* The Colonel yelled through the radio.

Even before Mitchell suggested it, Merlin and Daniel were already working at inputting a variety of combinations.

* * *

 

Arthur was brilliant trading blows against the hologram, but nothing seemed deter the knight. While the sword from the stone was able to halt the swings from the knight's blade, it did no visible damage to the knight itself.

The villagers stared in awe at the blond man fighting gallantly against the knight. Mitchell had witnessed Arthur's skill first hand, but he now realized that what he had seen before was nothing compared to what he was witnessing.

With the skill and confidence of a warrior, similar to the Sodan, and an expert with his chosen weapon, Arthur's swordsmanship was truly without equal. The sparring they had done on Earth, was obviously nothing more than child's play to the former king. Mitchell choked when he remembered Arthur mentioning that he felt Gwaine was even better one-on-one than he was.

The Colonel was definitely going to have a talk with his buddy when they got back to Earth. If Gwaine was going that easy on him, Mitchell wanted to see more.

The hologram wasn't showing any signs of fatigue or injury, but as a human, Arthur was. They needed the knight deactivated...and soon.

"Jackson, you need to do something!" Mitchell yelled into the mic.

Arthur swung mightily at the knight, and in the mud, became off-balance when the sword hit nothing but air. He tripped and fell, feeling the exhaustion of not having faced a true battle in what seemed like ages.

The knight was suddenly on top of him, ready to strike. In a last desperate bid, Arthur thrust his sword upwards, and stabbed it straight through the center of the knight.

The hologram disappeared.

It took a moment for the villagers, and even Arthur to understand what had happened.

"Nice timing, Jackson." Mitchell soft voice was filled with admiration.

"Wasn't me." Daniel admitted reluctantly. "It was Merlin."

* * *

 

_(moments earlier...)_

"Jackson, you need to do something!" Mitchell yelled into the mic.

Daniel looked at the panels. He'd already tried every combination he could think of.

Merlin held his hands over them, trying to sense any sort of connection. He felt a glimmer of something near the base of the platform. "What's that?"

"The control crystals! Right!" Daniel crouched down and pushed a hidden button. A tray filled with crystals popped out, and the archaeologist looked at them in confusion. "Uh...Usually Sam deals with these things..."

"Bloody hell." Merlin grunted and pulled Daniel out of the way. " _Líget!_ " He shot his hand out towards the crystals and a bolt of of electricity arced from his palm.

Sparks flew as the crystals shattered, and the room went dark.

* * *

 

Blue eyes stared into the crystal, turning it one direction, and then the other. He was able to feel the threads of power fading away. Leon had mentioned the data crystals, but Merlin hadn't thought much about them since. He'd also read about them as being the controlling factor in how the Stargate, and other devices of alien nature worked. He never considered putting those pieces together with the crystals he was familiar with. The diminishing aura of the shard he held in his hand finally brought the idea to light.

The Crystal Cave...hidden deep within the Valley of Fallen Kings, and shrouded not only by his magic, but now he believed, also by alien shielding technology. It all made sense really, when he thought about it. Gwaine had told him about the Stargate hidden there, different from almost any other he had seen; accessed by accident the first time, and it seemed like by luck the second.

Merlin had lived long enough, he didn't believe in luck. Everything that had lead up to this point, gave credence to the idea that it was all more than just coincidence.

His eyes lifted to meet Arthur's.

The blond man was chuckling softly. "You really did a number on these." He commented in a lighthearted tone. Merlin saw the concern, though, behind his friend's eyes. "How are you feeling? Dr. Jackson said you used a spell to destroy the crystals."

The warlock shrugged, "Actually, not as bad as I thought I would. I haven't actually used a verbal incantation for a spell that simple in...Well, I can't really remember the last time. It didn't seem to drain me as much as the magic has been doing. "

"Well, the others are looking for a pendant or something. They think it's the answer to the riddle the hologram told you."

Merlin saw Jackson and Mitchell searching through the troves of treasure that now littered the room. "It won't be here." Arthur raised his eyebrow skeptically. Merlin explained, "Just a feeling I have. Look, if it was me...there's no way I'd have left something like that here. This was too easy to get to; too easy to shut down. It was just a clue to what they're looking for."

A few hours later, and Mitchell was becoming flustered by the fruitless search through the mounds of gold and jewels. "It's got to be here! Look, I once lost my car keys in my apartment for three days…"*

"Colonel Mitchell?"* Meurik's voice called pensively from the door.

"Hi, uh, come on in. Don't be afraid. Black Knight's not coming back."*

Some of the villagers cautiously followed their governor into the room. Their eyes filled with wonder at the sight of the treasure.

"It's all yours." Mitchell informed Meurik, waving his hand around the room.

The governor looked shocked. "You do not wish to claim a prize for defeating Merlin's champion?"*

Merlin bit the inside of his cheek. He couldn't wait to be off this planet. These people were pawns, the likes of which he hadn't seen in generations. Sharing a glance with Arthur, he shook his head.

Arthur rolled his eyes and tuned back to the conversation Mitchell and Daniel were having with the governor.

"Well, there was one thing we were looking for, but we can't find it."*

Daniel took a few long steps over to where Merlin was flipping through one of the thicker books from the library. He took it out of the warlock's hands. "Actually, maybe you can help us."*

A protest formed on Merlin's tongue, but he decided to let it go. It wasn't worth starting an argument over, and if the villagers had an idea where the item might be, then it was worth the minor inconvenience.

"Do you recognize this?"* Daniel asked Meurik, showing him a picture of Moros wearing the pendant.

Meurik nodded, "It is the Sangraal. It is also known as the Blood Stone."

Daniel and Mitchell began arguing about the supposed Sangraal. Mitchell was certain it was a cup of some sort, to which the archaeologist tried to explain that it wasn't necessarily true.

Blinking rapidly, Meurik gave up attempting to follow their banter. "If this is what you seek, you will not find it among these trinkets. Arthur and his knights left to quest for the Sangraal long ago."*

Arthur's jaw clenched. Even after defeating the Black Knight, the people of this town refused to believe he was the real Arthur, and it was quickly becoming a sore spot.

"Do you know where they went?"* Mitchell asked hopefully.

Arthur and Merlin moved closer, eager to hear.

"Of course. It is said that they journeyed to three distant lands mentioned in Merlin's prophecy: Castiana, Sahal, and Vagonbrei."*

Mitchell looked at Daniel, waiting to see if his teammate recognized the names.

"If they were part of one of Merlin's prophecies, then any one his books could hold the key to what we're looking for."*

"The books upstairs? Jackson, that's days...weeks...to find the proper reference, and then there's no guarantee that we're going to be able to track him down.* Unless..." The Colonel's eyes turned toward Merlin.

The warlock cringed at the idea of magically scouring through the entire library again.

"Searching for Arthur's whereabouts in this library is not necessary. Now, we've been given a sign that Arthur will return soon." Meurik said with a smile, though he refused to make eye contact with the blond man of the Tau'ri, who was glaring daggers at him. "...And you are welcome to stay with us and wait. As the men who conquered Merlin's Curse, you will be given a place of honor."*

"Look. Once and for all, there was no curse. Okay?"* Even Daniel was getting agitated by the blinders these people refused to remove, when the truth was right before their eyes. "This? This is a device. It's a machine. It's like a flour mill or a catapult. It's just a lot more complicated. There is no magic."*

A familiar beam of light engulfed the four men. They blinked and found themselves on the bridge of yet another ship.

Daniel huffed out a breath. "Boy, my timing's off today."*

"Ever consider that it's a sign to stop attempting to explain magic?" Merlin smiled mischievously.

They turned around and faced the Command Chair when a man's voice with a thick Russian accent spoke. "Colonel Mitchell. Doctor Jackson. Welcome aboard the Korolev."*

* * *

 

"Leon! Another ship just arrived..." Percival watched as the vessel, obviously one of Earth origin, suddenly disappeared into hyperspace. "...and it's gone."

"Damn it!" Leon shouted, his eyes shifted from the console in front of him to the window. "Merlin and Arthur's signals are gone!"

"What?"

The two men had been waiting in Leon's cloaked ship, above the planet for Merlin to contact them. They had become concerned when the first Earth ship had dropped out of hyperspace, and the signals had jumped from the planet to the vessel. After a few moments, it appeared they were set back down on the planet.

Leon had expected the warlock to make contact with them shortly thereafter, when the other ship left orbit. Hours had passed, with no word. He didn't want to compromise his own anonymity, but he was becoming concerned. The moment he had left his seat to prepare to teleport down himself and find out what was going on, was the same moment Percival alerted him to the second ship.

"Set a course to track it and follow them." He told Percival.

The other knight held up his hand, and pointed out the window, just as a Goa'uld Mothership came into orbit.

"What the frack is going on?" He sat staring at the ship. It looked like a large pyramid from near the Holy Lands on Earth, made of gleaming gold metal, and the bottom half surrounded by bulkheads and engines, jutting out in a dark gray contrast. "We can't jump to hyperspace now, without them detecting us. Lets back off slowly and try to get out of range of its sensors. Then, plot a course after the Earth ship from there."

"We won't be able to tell where they drop out of hyperspace, though." Percival commented, sharing in his friend's concern.

Leon cursed again. "We'll have to drop out every couple of hours and hope we can find them. I'm going to modify the sensors to pick up as much subspace radio chatter as I possibly can. There's something massive going on." The delay would put them at the least a few hours behind the Earth vessel. At worst, they could lose the trail all together.

Slamming a fist against the bulkhead of the doorway, Leon headed back to the control panels near the engine room of his ship, leaving Percival to see them out of harms way from the Mothership.

* * *

 

The Odyssey and a multitude of other ships sat in anxious anticipation around a massive Stargate, floating in the depths of space where a planet had once been. It was now apparent that the Ori had destroyed the planet and the sun it orbited, to create a singularity, similar to a small black hole, to power the Gate. There wasn't much time left before they activated it.

Kvasir, an Asgard scientist, had transported over to the Odyssey to assist Carter in preparing for the rest of SG-1's arrival. Gwaine listened intently as the the short, thin alien had explained to Carter what his people had learned from the phase-shifting journal of the Ancient Merlin.

"It is an energy transfer device, similar to a Zero Point Module."* Kvasir said, referencing the main structure of power crystals that provided the energy for many of the more massive Alteran devices, like the city of Atlantis in the Pegasus Galaxy, or the weapons platform that had been found on Earth a few years before. "Except that the energy is channeled not from sub-space into ordinary space-time, but rather into the dimension occupied by Ascended beings."*

"...And this energy is harmful to them in some way?" Carter asked.

"It is a form of interference. A simple analogy would be two standing waves canceling each other out. If the weapon indeed works the way Merlin's writings imply, we would simply need to activate it and send it to the Ori galaxy, and they would be eliminated."*

"Yeah, but how do we do that? I mean, we don't even know where the Ori galaxy is, let alone have the ability to send something there."*

Kvasir's large black eyes blinked, "That is where you're mistaken."*

Carter thought for a moment. She turned to Gwaine when he snickered in amazement. It dawned on her at the same moment. "You're talking about the Supergate. We dial-out before they can dial-in!"*

They just needed to wait for the Korolev to arrive, and hope that the others had successfully shut off the knight, and found the weapon.

* * *

 

"You sure about this, Sam?" Gwaine asked. He re-checked all the sealed seams of the white space suit. Another technician nearby was running through all the diagnostics again. While Gwaine wasn't really trained in this aspect, the others who were seemed to appreciate the extra set of hands.

She smiled at him and nodded, "We don't have much of a choice."

Word had come through subspace channels from the Korolev. The other members of SG-1 were on board, but they didn't have the weapon. While initially disappointed, Carter soon realized the best chance they all had right then, was to interrupt the dialing process. It may not ultimately save them, like having the weapon would have, but it would buy them some time to find it.

Gwaine double-checked the com system, and made sure the data crystal Kvasir had programmed to dial the Gate was secured.

"The coordinates are set. Are you ready, Colonel Carter?"* The grayish-colored Asgardian asked.

"Ready as I'll ever be."* The helmet was placed over her head, and locked into place with a hiss and a snap. After one last check on the lights and communications systems, and Carter gave the alien a thumbs-up.

"Initiating transport."*

* * *

 

He listened with rapt attention to the speaker as Carter relayed her movements from space. First, she engaged the magnetic locks on her boots that would hold her on the surface of the Supergate. Then, she removed the panel over the control crystals. She replaced one of the crystals with the one Kvasir had programmed...and they waited with bated breath for it to initialize.

A tremor of fear ran through her voice. "Something's happening. I've lost my magnetic lock."*

Near silent static filled the airwaves. He heard the bridge crew fill in the space.

"It's an incoming wormhole."

"Get her out of there now!"

"...too much interference."

"Sam, report. Sam!"

Gwaine felt he had to do something. He might not be as familiar with the newer technology, but in this case, even re-routing through some older backup systems might just give them the boost needed to reach Carter. Adrenaline pounding through his veins, he headed out to the corridor towards the main bridge.

* * *

 

Arthur felt a wave of dizziness. His eyes were focused on the forward windows of the bridge, as the stars suddenly stopped streaming by them, and settled into place.

"This is Colonel Chekov."* The Russian commander announced, "What is the situation?"*

"We've got an incoming wormhole. I suggest you prepare for battle."*

Chekov started yelling orders in Russian that Arthur didn't understand. He could tell from the way Merlin tensed next to him, though, that it wasn't good.

Mitchell and Jackson stood nearby. Both were just as nervous.

Seeing the Stargate on Earth open the first time had been awe-inspiring. The way the wave of energy had blasted forth from the metal ring, accompanied by a loud whooshing sound, and then was sucked back in on itself to form the event horizon, had left the former king feeling insignificant. He had nothing to compare it to...none of the magic he had witnessed...nothing. Watching the Supergate come to life left that experience in the dust. For the first time in his life he felt nothing but sheer terror race through every bone in his body. If these aliens...these Ori...were powerful enough to command this Supergate, and destroy planets to do it, then he feared for everyone he held dear.

...And then...the first ship came through.

One Ori vessel would have been enough to dwarf the entire hodgepodge fleet of ships...scrambled together from reluctant allies across the Milky Way to gather as the only line of defense at the Supergate. However, there was not just one ship...but four of them.

Initially, they appeared wide, and almost flat on the front before tapering down on the sides, and curving back behind the face. The bottom edge dipped down in a smooth curve and then back up again, making it appear like the face of the Ori vessel was smiling. The position of the rectangular windows, of what Arthur assumed was the bridge, were lit with an eerie amber glow. It lent to the feeling of inhuman eyes, staring out at them all. It seemed like the ships themselves were laughing at the pitiful attempt to stop them.

They spread out into a half-circle formation around the Supergate. As one of them shifted into position, Arthur could see beyond the initial front face of the ships. They were similar to a horseshoe, with the back ends tapering close together...or possibly the yoke on a plow horse. They were obviously built with the 'U' shaped symbol, with the top points coming together, that was on the cover of the Book of Origin and the staves of the Priors.

Near the rounded front, within the hollow space created by the main part of the Ori ship, was another circle that encased a blueish orb. It reminded Arthur of the magical ball of light Merlin occasionally summoned in his palm...but, this ball of light was easily the size of a small moon.

Merlin's sharp intake of breath finally broke Arthur's attention away from the horror. He had never felt more helpless and small, as he did at that moment. Judging by the looks of the others, even those who had witnessed much more of the outer space wonders, he wasn't alone with his emotions.

The Russians were speaking to each other.

Merlin swallowed loudly and began translating for Arthur. "Text message from the Ori ships: 'And those who are prideful, and refuse to bow down, shall be laid low and made into dust.'"

* * *

 

"I've got them!" Percival yelled through the Tel'tak.

Leon rushed toward the bridge and slid into his seat at the controls. A quick look told him they were still quite a distance from the ships. There were more than just the two Tau'ri vessels: Goa'uld motherships, commanded by the Free Jaffa; Asgardian Warships; big and small...there must have been at least thirty different vessels from all across the galaxy. They stood toe-to-toe with four massive ships he had never before laid eyes on, prepared for battle.

He blinked and shook his head. His survival instincts kicked in. He proceeded to shut down everything he could, while activating the cloak.

Percival stared at his friend in shock. "We aren't going to help them?"

"There's nothing we can do."

The message from the Ori came in, as it had done on every ship in the Milky Way armada.

A minute later, Daniel Jackson's familiar voice broadcasted through space on all channels. "Then, did Tyolus say to the people of the low plains, 'seek not wickedness amongst your neighbors, lest it find purchase in your own house.'"*

Leon snickered, "That's it...quote their own scriptures right back at them."

"Think it'll work?" Even as Percival asked the question, he saw the answer in the energy readings from the Ori ships. They were powering up their weapons.

"Open fire." Came the command from one of the Tau'ri ships.

* * *

 

Gwaine was rushing toward the bridge when a wall exploded next to him. He ducked out of the way, just as the sheets of metal were ripped from their welded bolts. A scream behind him caused him to turn around...and he felt a flash of pain in his head, as the ship rocked. The stabilizers had just taken a hit and his face met what was left of the wall.

* * *

 

"We've lost power!"* A man yelled out in accented English.

Mitchell turned to Chekov. "We have to scramble the 302's. It's time to go all in! I'll draw their fire while you get the ship back on line."*

"Go!"* The commander yelled.

Slapping Merlin on the shoulder as he ran by, Mitchell called out. "Emyrs, you're with me!"

There was a moment of hesitation. He looked at Arthur, who nodded his consent. "Stay with Dr. Jackson, no matter what happens!"

Running through the corridor, Mitchell was thrown to the floor as another blast rocked through the ship. Merlin grabbed his arm and hauled him to his feet. Fires were burning all around them from compromised systems. Crewmen were working in vain to contain the blazes. The two men kept running.

* * *

 

He couldn't watch, but he wasn't able to look away either, from the horror that unfolded before them. They were at a relatively safe distance from the battle, and perhaps that just made the feeling deep his gut worse. His stomach twisted and turned as one by one, the Milky Way vessels were picked off.

"We've got to do something..." He whispered helplessly.

"If I try to scan for them, the Ori could pick up the signal." Leon's jaw clenched, and he blinked away the moisture stinging his eyes.

"...And they could die if we don't! Gwaine...Merlin...Arthur...If they aren't worth saving, then what kind of men are we? You know they would do the same for us."

Percival's words rang true. Either they did nothing and watched as their friends were destroyed, or he forced himself to break out of his centuries of selfish survival to become the man he used to be.

_The stone of the table was cold, but the fire in the hearth and the bonds of friendship were warm._

_Arthur stood and spoke of freeing his father and taking back Camelot. "Are there any around this table who will join me?"_

_Leon could hear Lancelot's voice whispering in his mind. "You taught me the values of being a knight; the code by which a man should live his life...to fight with honor for justice, freedom, and all that's good. I believe in the world that you will build."_

_Elyan, a young man he had known since childhood; his first friend, nearly forgotten. He was soft-spoken, with a penchant for trouble. "Even though I was a commoner...a nobody...you were willing to lay down your life for me, Arthur. It is now my turn to repay you."_

_He remembered standing. His heart was filled with pride and admiration for the man who would someday be his king. Since their days as pages, and then squires, though he was a few years the prince's elder, they had trained together, battled against bandits, and said goodbye to many other good and worthy knights who had fallen in their service. His own voice echoed with the hopes and dreams of those who had died. "I have fought alongside you many times. There is no one that I would rather die for."_

_Gwaine had to go and make them all smile...breaking through the tension like a smith's hammer on an anvil, with his teasing grin. "I think we've no chance...but, I wouldn't miss it for the world."_

_Simple and poignant Percival, who took everything life threw at him in stride...even a trip to a future world beyond his comprehension...he had adapted and thrived against all odds. "Your enemies are my enemies."_

_Gaius and Gwen spoke their own words of support, while tears of pride flowed freely from the prince's eyes. As always, Merlin had to be dragged along into it all, not necessarily kicking and screaming, but there was enough whining to make most of the knights contemplate using the neckerchief he always wore as a gag. But, when it came down to it, he would follow Arthur beyond the ends of the Earth, through space and time, just because the prince requested it._

_"You don't have a choice, Merlin."_ {1}

...And that was all the young man with all the secrets needed.

 _"There is no one that I would rather die for."_ He might not have been able to die, but Percival, who was sitting next to him could, and that didn't stop the younger man from acting like the knight Leon should have been.

Three more Motherships had dropped out of hyperspace nearby. He keyed up enough power to follow in their wake, toward the heart of the battle. Do or die...they would try to get their friends back. Judging by the unleashed firepower of the Ori warships, the latter was the most probable, but that hadn't stopped the Knights of Camelot from prevailing against all odds before.

One of the Motherships in front of them took a hit to the engines, and exploded before their eyes. The shockwave and debris sped towards the smaller Tel'tak.

* * *

 

Vala Mal Doran rubbed her hands over her distended belly. Biting back sobs, she watched helplessly from the window of the Ori ship. She had warned them about the Supergate and the ships...and it was ending in disaster. Nothing seemed to be able to touch the Ori.

Her friends...the men and women she had come to know...even if they had never fully accepted her as one of their own, she considered them her people...and they were all dying.

A sudden pain racked her body, and her abdomen tightened with the first pangs of labor.

She cried out, not for herself and the discomfort she felt, but for her child and the galaxy it would be born in.

* * *

 

Showers of sparks lit up the bulkhead, like fireworks celebrating the macabre scene below.

Rancid smoke from electrical fires burned in his lungs. The smell of charred flesh filled and tainted the air. Screams of pain and whimpered last words floated into his ears. He felt the floor rock underneath him, as yet another system gave way to an explosion. Red emergency lights flickered eerily, and created haunting shadows through the debris that floated along the corridor.

He held his hand to his head and felt a sharp sting, when it touched the small piece of shrapnel lodged in his scalp. His hand came away and he blinked, barely able to see the blood, shining like black ink, against the grime and dirt on his palm.

Malicious laughter echoed over the buzzing of the alarms.

He put out his hand to rise and touched something soft. He recoiled when he realized it was the flesh of another person. A technician, whose name he didn't even know, laid with open, sightless eyes in front of him. The girder beam across her back was a clear indication of her fate.

Drawing a sharp breath, he immediately began to cough, as his airway was assaulted by fumes and soot.

The insane cackling of a woman's voice drew closer.

He shivered uncontrollably, every muscle in his body screaming in protest. He knew the laughter all too well. It was the last sound he had heard, before he had died...but he wasn't dead, he realized with a start. He may have fallen under her torture, but he had been saved...hadn't he?

Was the whole past year just some weird dream? Was this part of the torment she was pulling from the dark recesses of his innermost fantasies...his dreams of going home...twisted for her own devious intent?

"Oh, Sir Gwaine." Her voice purred seductively.

Squinting through the near darkness, he was temporarily blinded by the bright, golden arcs of yet another electrical component flashing against the metal-plated walls. When his vision cleared slightly, he saw the dark, feminine figure approach him, carelessly stepping through the debris.

"The most handsome of all the knights." She crooned to him, but there was a dripping venom behind the compliment.

"How does it feel, to know you betrayed not only your king, but everything you've held dear...and to be betrayed, by the woman you loved?" Black, ratted hair framed the porcelain face, and the flickering lights highlighted the manic green eyes. "You thought you were done with me? Not hardly."

She crouched down next to him, running a slender, pale finger across his cheek. "I still have plans for you, Sir Gwaine. You were once the strongest of all my brother's knights; able to resist so much mental anguish. But soon, I shall show you just how weak you truly are; how weak and pitiful you all are. Albion will have no king...it shall have a queen, instead. I will sit upon the throne and rule over the stars;, for I have not been defeated as my brother's idiot manservant believes. I have been brought back to rule the people of these galaxies as a true Goddess. I am being reborn as we speak. I am the Orici."


	12. Chapter 12

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> AN: Parts of this chapter heavily follow Stargate episode 10.01, but goes AU more so than the previous ones as I start to work on more of a divergence between the two. There are a few lines borrowed from 10.01.
> 
> Thanks to my Proofreader Nance, and Flow Reader IcarusLSU.

 

 

* * *

Laney woke up, a cold sweat beading on her forehead, and checked the time: just before five a.m. She could try to go back to sleep, but she doubted if she would be able to. There was no memory of the dream that had woken her, just a lead balloon in her stomach from the feeling it left her with.

Laying back, she tried to recall the last images. They made no sense to her...Flashes of light...The sound of steel ringing against rock and metal...Nothing concrete.

With a deep sigh, she rolled out of bed, and went to make coffee. She figured a hot shower would do her good, and wash away the remnants of the nightmare.

* * *

Even by the time the bus arrived for the boys, at the end of the long, dirt driveway, the gnawing in her gut had barely diminished. She sat in her car long after the yellow bus had turned out of sight, with her hands gripping the wheel.

The past week had been stressful. Her ex's new wife had sent her a text about where she could pick up the boys. The bastard had done it again; decided he didn't want to be a dad. This time, not only to Laney's three boys, but also to the new one on the way with his current wife. A part of her wanted to feel bad for the gal; barely twenty-something, pregnant, and now facing the life of a single mother, too. But, instead, Laney was numb to the girl's plight, especially after leaving the boys with some near-stranger.

The big difference between Laney's previous experience with her ex, and this time...the son of a bitch had decided to completely leave the country.

She had to give him credit for trying. Not long after Gwaine's return, when they had moved to Colorado, her ex had moved to one of the Denver suburbs in an attempt be close enough to have a relationship with the kids. Now, Laney realized that was more due to his new wife's instance that brought that about. He'd probably given the girl some sob story, using the kids to get her into bed in the first place.

He hadn't even paid the child support in the last five months, although Laney made sure not to tell the boys, or her brother, about that development. She had suspected that his departure was only a matter of time.

Toby was in trouble in school, having gotten into a fight a couple of days later over some stupid shit that only teenagers could care about. Meanwhile, neither Greg nor Randy could figure out what they had done to drive their dad away. It didn't matter that it wasn't their fault; the kids weren't able to grasp that concept.

Gwaine was originally only supposed to be gone for a couple of days, off to who knows where with all his buddies. He'd left a message saying that the plans had changed, and he would call her when he got a chance to explain. That was almost a week ago, making his original time for getting off duty, four days overdue.

Leaning her head against the steering wheel between her hands, the sinking feeling only seemed to grow. She glanced at the car radio. It was barely seven-thirty. She would be late to work, if she didn't head out right away.

The last time she had felt this, her baby brother had disappeared for seven years, and she had been left completely in the dark about his fate. They hadn't been on the best of terms when he had left that time. This time was different.

"To hell with it." She said to the car, and backed up the driveway. Laney had already called work from her cell, before walking back in the house to search for another number she knew would be in the house somewhere.

* * *

"Hello? Anybody home?"

"Martha!" Gwen exclaimed, coming down the stairs. She embraced the other woman warmly. "I just put Aurie down for his nap, and was planning on having some tea. Would you care to join me?"

"That would be great!" She smiled excitedly. "Are you doing alright, with the men gone?"

"I have to say, it's actually a bit of a relief to have them out of my hair for a while. Don't get me wrong, I love my husband with all my heart, but he's been acting a bit stir-crazy lately, and driving me to utter distraction." She headed towards the sitting room, already set with tea by Harri.

Martha felt a pang of jealousy, that Gwen had seen more of both the men than she had, but she quickly dismissed it.

Merlin had urged her a few months back, to resign from UNIT and spend more time together. Since he no longer worked for them, they had been apart more than together for the first year of their marriage. Although, she wasn't working on the dangerous projects she had been before, Martha was needed to see through the projects she had been working on.

Now, that she finally been able to pass most of them along to others and spend time with him, Merlin was gone...headed off to some alien planet with Gwaine and Arthur. She envied him, remembering her own days of flitting around the universe in a blue Police Box. Some of the memories contained hardship and tragedy, while others were bright and filled with adventure.

Merlin had travelled all over the world, but had been confined to it. Many times, she had wished he could see the wonders outside of the small planet, as she had. She wasn't about to begrudge him the opportunity.

"Did you at least get to see him? He mentioned stopping to visit you on the way to Colorado."

"I did!" Martha said, turning her attention back to the conversation. "We went out for sushi for our anniversary."

"What's sushi?" Gwen asked innocently.

"It's Japanese food...mostly raw fish and rice. I don't think I'd ever laughed so hard, watching your husband try it."

"Oh, I hope he didn't ruin your celebrations by being there. Although, I'm sure it was quite the change from all the times Arthur forced poor Merlin to accompany him and me, on picnics and such. I don't think I can recall a time when Merlin wasn't around in some capacity, as Arthur's servant."

"Afterwards, we took a walk, and I gave Merlin his present."

Gasping in delight, Gwen poured them both some tea. "The car he's been wanting?"

Martha smiled and nodded enthusiastically. "He loved it! The dealer offered to drive Arthur back to the flat, while Merlin and I took it out for a spin. When we finally got back home, I'm sure we must have woken Arthur with our...continued celebrations."

The women giggled together at the unspoken meaning. It was nice to have someone to share these things with. Something both had found themselves lacking in their lifestyles before meeting. Martha had her sister Tish, but the two siblings weren't as close as they had been, when they were children.

"Can I ask you something?"

"Of course!" Gwen responded happily.

"Did something happen? Recently, I mean. Merlin was...well, he seemed a bit off. Distracted."

"Oh?" The former queen steadied herself, and kept her face schooled. "I'm not sure what you mean."

Martha wasn't buying it. "Something did! Gwen, please. He wouldn't talk to me. What happened?"

Gwen sighed and set her cup down on the table next to her. "I don't understand exactly, but when he came back from Colorado last week...he'd changed. Almost as if there was a shadow hanging over him..." She began to explain how he and Arthur had been going through books, and rushing off away from the house together at all hours; how they had come back a few mornings prior, with a heaviness surrounding them that she couldn't explain. Gwen also told Martha about the cryptic conversation regarding a certain number of years, and how Arthur seemed saddened by its meaning. "I...I don't want to allow myself to think about what they might have been discussing."

Martha stared ahead, with a blank expression, processing all the information. "I'm sure it's probably nothing. Right? We just don't have the full context of their discussion." Her tone was more upbeat than she felt.

"Of course!" Gwen passionately agreed.

"Well, I have an idea." Martha forced herself to smile. "I was thinking of heading to London to visit my mum for a few days. It's been a while since I've seen her. How about you and Aurie come with me...see the big city and get out of here for a while?"

"All my life, other than when we were in Colorado, I've never been beyond a few miles from Camelot...even during the time I was exiled." Her voice was timid and wistful. She took a deep breath. "...But, there used to be a lot more people, which I think I am really beginning to miss. I think it's a great idea."

A few hours later, they found themselves ushered into a London flat by Martha's mother, Francine.

* * *

Martha saw the international number come up on her phone, listed as Gwaine's home number. She smiled, as she picked it up. "Hey!"

"Hey, Martha." Her friend's voice, on the other end of the line, dashed Martha's desire of hearing her husband.

"Laney?" She clicked her teeth against her tongue in disappointment. "I was hoping my husband had simply lost his phone or something."

"You haven't heard from them either, then?"

"No...I just assumed the boys were having fun after their trip." Her voice lowered to a quieter level and she nodded across the sitting room to her mother, who was playing with Aurie, while Gwen was taking a nap. She pantomimed her intentions to step outside during the phone call.

"What's happened?" She snapped, when she was finally alone. Her heart clenched.

"Nothing. At least, as far as anything I can get answers to. I've had this nagging feeling all day."

"What kind of feeling?"

"It's just a sixth sense. Gwaine is now sure it must be in the blood, or something. He said back in Camelot, Merlin used to have something similar. He figures we may have picked it up."

Martha chuckled. Laney had known full well that she was asking for something more specific, but was having a hard time putting words to it. Instead, she deflected it altogether. "Yeah, Merlin's spoken about it, occasionally."

"I called Carolyn Lam, since Gwaine's been dating her."

"Gwaine and Dr. Lam?" Martha had to chuckle about that.

"Yeah, trust me. I've already given him enough shit over that. There was something in her voice, Martha."

"What did she say?"

"More what she didn't say...which was a whole lot of nothing. She said that as far as she knew, they were all fine. I shouldn't worry, yada-yada, bullshit. She can't tell me anything about what they were doing, but if she heard anything, she'd call me."

"Alright...?"

"She didn't offer to pass on a message or to tell him to call. It was just...weird. There's something going on; something big. I don't want to lose my brother again, but I just know he's in trouble right now."

"Huh..." Martha chewed her bottom lip. "Let me make some phone calls; see if I can figure anything out." She didn't want to let on, that Laney's gut feeling, coupled with Merlin's distraction the last time she had seen him, worried her as well. Perhaps, it wasn't as big as Laney was making it sound, but there were certainly ways Martha could check.

If it was, then surely she would have received a call from UNIT, she thought. Unless, it was something outside of UNIT's scope, and out further into space.

Her first call was to Torchwood. If anyone had a clue or access about something happening out among the stars, it would be Jack.

* * *

Her fingers trembled, as she pushed the highlighted 'end call' button on her phone. She heard Gwen and her mother speaking inside the house.

Forcing herself to calm down, she told herself that just because there had been a battle, didn't mean Merlin and the others were anywhere near it. It could have been just coincidence. Whatever was happening, or had happened, had simply delayed their return.

Jack had told her, that he received a message on what he called the "Intergalactic version of Twitter." Some new baddie, as he called it, had decided to try and become the new big dog, and there was a request for any available ships to meet at a set point, far out in the Milky Way. The last update he'd found, wasn't good news.

He had promised to keep her informed, and also told her Mickey was attempting to contact the other guys. Perhaps, they would have more accurate information. She heard Mickey in the background, saying that it was doubtful Leon would risk his ship in some sort of rumble with some outer space bully. Martha had to agree. He didn't seem like the type to get involved.

Without more to go on, Martha had no idea what to tell Laney, or for that matter, Gwen. Both women had been through enough with losing men they cared about, and finding them again. The possibility, no matter how slim, that the guys were somehow involved, was not something Martha wanted either of them to worry about for the moment.

She looked at her phone, thinking about another phone number in her contacts list. Shaking her head, she decided not to make the call just yet. Merlin probably wouldn't have appreciated it if she did. He would have laughed and rolled his eyes if she had brought someone to rescue him; teasing her to no end.

Until she had something more solid to go on, she wouldn't make that call.

* * *

_She laughed and belched._

_The boy next to her giggled insanely. A girl nearby, a few years older, rolled her eyes. Merlin snickered at his beautiful family. He wished Arthur could have been there to see it._

* * *

_He looked out over the sea from the parapet of the castle. His long coat, almost a robe, was catching on the salted wind. He felt arms wrap around him from behind._

_"What do you see, when you look out there?"_

_He shook his head, unable to describe the feeling he got from watching the swells crashing against the cliffs below the castle. It would all come and go; sometimes with force, rocking the stones of the keep; other times, it was calm and almost out of reach, seemingly leagues away from the base of rising stones._

_The children...when they were children...used to play in the tide pools during low tide._

_His son was a knight. He chuckled, thinking about his friends, and how they would have teased him if they had lived to see this._

_They would soon be traveling across the countryside, to a different cliff-lined shore. The shores of Albion...milky white, and rising from the waters._

_Their daughter was going to be married in a castle, near the cliffs of a place called Dover._

* * *

_Candles burned low. He wiped her brow. Hair, once a beautiful chestnut brown, was now gray. Eyes that once saw him clearly, were clouded over with age. She smiled, and it was still dazzling. "Remember me, Merlin. Don't lose what you are...my love."_

_"Never."_

_Suddenly, she was youthful again. A beautiful maiden freshly come to Camelot, and smiling at him. "There's more left to remember." He knew she had never told him those words, but they seemed so natural, as if she had truly spoken them when she was alive._

_'What do I need to remember?' The words never left his mouth._

_She held out the crystal from the Ancient control device. The one he had fried with his magic. He stared at it, wondering how Mithian came to possess it. "Remember where you came from."_

_"Ealdor?" He was laying next to her, the golden sunlight of the dawn was lighting her face. Tussled dark hair covered the pillow below her head._

_"No, silly. Before that."_

_He saw an old man, the Ancient Merlin...Moros...puttering around, with a red crystal hanging around his neck. As he moved, Merlin noticed it wasn't the crystal that was red, but something inside of it._

_"You are a son of the earth, the sea...the sky. Magic is the fabric of this world, and you were born of that magic. You are magic itself. You cannot lose what you are."{1} His father's voice echoed in the darkness. He tried to reach out his hand, wanting to touch his father. His son was there, reaching not for him, but for his mother._

_The vision of Mithan and his children faded into the black abyss. Try as he might, he just couldn't reach them._

_He saw pale, green eyes, glowing with malice and laughter. Then, even that dissipated, but it sent a chill through his body that went deeper than the black hole that swirled inside of him._

* * *

The dust had begun to settle, but the smell of smoke and fried wiring still clung to the air, refusing to dissipate even after many of the fires had been extinguished; proof that the life support and air purifying systems had been damaged.

Groans of pain and sorrow filled the room that was the makeshift infirmary. Gwaine had seen too much of rooms like this in the past year. He'd been found, just as he had regained consciousness. The wound on his scalp seemed superficial, though he had possibly suffered a mild concussion. It was minor compared to many others. He was thankful for that. Being among the walking wounded...bandaged up and sent on his way...he tried to recover missing people still strewn throughout the remnants of what was once a grand ship.

Passing by one of the few windows still intact after the battle, he could tell they had left the area of the Supergate. He questioned the movements when he arrived back at the infirmary with another wounded man, and was informed that they were currently following the Ori ships. After a few hours passed, the Odyssey finally returned to the scene of the battle.

As the Odyssey neared the area of the Supergate, Gwaine began to see the destruction that had been wrought. He gulped loudly, his mind wondering what had befallen his friends. One of the last communications had been from Dr. Jackson, aboard the Korolev, which meant the Russian vessel had successfully picked up the men left on the planet.

The battle started when Colonel Emerson had ordered the fleet to open fire, and the Ori had retaliated.

Among the debris that floated through space, Gwaine could make out what remained of the Korolev. There wasn't a piece big enough for anyone to have survived in. He found out that a half dozen of the Korolev's crew had managed to beam over, just before the ship was destroyed. Not a single one of them had any information to help Gwaine discover the fate of his friends.

* * *

"This is Lieutenant Colonel Carter. Can anybody hear me?"

"Sam...?" Mitchell blinked and began testing the systems. He glanced behind him, but couldn't move enough to see the man in the co-pilot's seat. "Merlin...Yo, Emrys! You alive back there?"

Merlin felt moisture on his cheeks, and the last vestiges of a dream fleeing from his mind. He groaned, trying desperately to cling to a fading images. He couldn't seem to make sense of any of it. People he had known, the crystal, the hologram of Moros...clips and images played through his mind. "The hologram...?"

"What was that?"

"Uh, nothing. Colonel Mitchell, what happened?"

"We must have lost consciousness." Mitchell was running through a few system checks.

Merlin tried to remember what had transpired. He was following Mitchell to the X-302 Bays. The small two-man fighters wouldn't have done much against the massive Ori ships, but he had hoped to have been able to draw their fire away from the others, long enough to be of some assistance. Merlin had followed. They had managed to make it into the cockpit, lifting off the deck just as the larger ship was being consumed by a massive blast.

Craning his neck, Merlin was able the wreckage floating in the eerie light of the Supergate. His heart plummeted. "Arthur..."

"...No idea what happened to him or Jackson. Carter is in a suit, just off the Supergate's event horizon. We have no way to reach her."

"Huh..." He couldn't help but find a sort of morbid fascination with their predicament.

"What's that?"

"Fifteen centuries of life. I've more than checked off everything on my bucket list, and everything else I could have ever imagined happening...being stranded in a fighter in deep space, at war with aliens was not anywhere among them.." He wanted to keep talking. The silence was more than just a lack of noise, it was a palpable feeling of helplessness and desperation.

Mitchell seemed to understand this, as well. "Carter, can you still hear me? What happened to the Ori ships?"

"Yep, I'm still here." Her voice was tinged with the metallic echo of speakers and radio communications. "Not really going anywhere. The Ori ships left about four hours ago."

"Colonel Carter. Colonel Mitchell. This is Colonel Emerson on board the Odyssey. Are you reading us?"

"Good to see you again, Odyssey. Any chance you can beam me aboard?" Carter asked hopefully.

"That's a negative, Colonel Carter. Kvasir is working on repairing our beaming capabilities, but for the moment, you'll have to just sit tight. All of our communication systems were down. We followed the Ori ships from a safe distance with our long-range sensors, until they jumped into hyperspace. We're still working on getting basic functions back to most of the ship."

"Permission to come on board, Sir?" Mitchell asked, using the remaining bit of thrust left in the engines, to begin steering towards the Odyssey.

"Permission granted. Port side docking bay suffered the least amount of damage. You can put her down there." Emerson stated.

Carter's voice trembled a bit. "Not to sound self-absorbed or anything, but I have less than two hours left of life support."

"We understand that, Colonel. Kvasir is doing the best he can."

* * *

"Gwaine!" The sound of his name being called was the best thing he could have ever heard.

"Merlin!" A flood of emotion pushed through him. He threw his arms around the best friend he'd ever known.

"Any word on Arthur?" Merlin finally asked, pulling back from the embrace. The Marine shook his head.

Mitchell stood behind him. He squeezed Gwaine's shoulder as they clasped hands. "Good to see you alive."

Colonel Emerson came walking up to the group and greeted them.

Mitchell turned to the commander. "What's the status?"

"The data recorder for the Korolev has been found. We're working on retrieving it now. Teal'c contacted us from one of the Lucian Alliance Motherships, but then there was an altercation and we lost contact. We've been taking on survivors, but at current capacity, we've got about a day or less of life support."

"Anything I can do to help?" Merlin asked.

"Not unless you can somehow teleport Colonel Carter onboard."

Mitchell turned and smiled at Merlin hopefully.

Merlin thought about it. He hadn't had any decent sleep in a few nights, and he didn't count the time unconscious in the fighter craft as restful. His reserves of energy were already being pushed to the limit, for what his body seemed capable of handling lately. Added to that, was his preoccupation of worry for what had befallen Arthur. He closed his eyes and was tempted to say 'no'...but, when he opened them again and looked at the men waiting expectantly. He finally caved, "I can try."

* * *

"He's going to what?!" Arthur yelled. His wide eyes shifted from Leon to Percival, to the speaker the voices were coming out of. "He can't do that! Leon, tell them I am ordering Merlin to stop!"

Leon's fists balled. He had already explained to Arthur that the coms were screwed up. They were lucky to be able to hear what was going on at all, and that was only because Leon had a secondary system installed; set up solely to intercept encrypted communication frequencies.

He briefly wondered if he should have left Arthur on the other ship. The one that had exploded, just as he had beamed the royal prat out. "I think Merlin is rubbing off on me." He mumbled, thinking about all the words Merlin used to use when describing Arthur. It had been milliseconds after they had saved Arthur, when Leon's own ship was damaged. While cloaked, the protective force shield was down. They had been hit with a nasty shock wave as one of the nearby Motherships had exploded.

"What?" Percival asked, looking up at Leon.

Forcing a smile, he shook his head. "Nothing."

"That idiot is going to kill himself! Doesn't he know that? Why isn't Gwaine stopping him?" Arthur continued to rant.

Percival was sifting through a drawer of multicolored power crystals, attempting to help Leon replace ones damaged during the battle. "Does Gwaine know about what's been happening, or what you discovered?"

Arthur's mouth shut with a snap. He crossed his arms and turned toward the window in a pout. Of course, he hadn't. He wasn't given a chance to, and if he knew Merlin at all, he knew the warlock wasn't about to admit any real weakness. Stupid ones, like 'his clothes were wet,' or 'he hadn't slept a full eight hours,' then yes, he would complain. But, if someone's life was on the line, such as Colonel Carter's?...Forget about it.

"Can you..." He sputtered and threw up his hands. Stopping to regain his composure, Arthur forced himself to breathe. "Can you beam her here...preferably, before that fool hurts himself?"

Glancing away from the control panel he was working on, Leon nodded, "That is what I am trying to do."

* * *

"We're about as close as we're going to get, Colonel Emyrs. You sure you can do this?" The commander of the Odyssey asked.

"No, but..." Merlin looked over to the Asgard alien currently reprogramming the beaming protocols. An attempted test with a sandwich from the galley, a few moments earlier, was now a pool of unrecognisable mush on a stool. "We don't have much of a choice."

"Alright, then. Whenever you're ready."

Merlin studied the readouts in front of him, trying to get his bearings. Back on Earth, he didn't have much trouble using the modern GPS system to find someone if he needed to. Out in space was an entirely different matter. He focused on reaching out for Carter's aura. It seemed so far away. Turning inward, he opened himself up to the web of life and found her. He concentrated on that, but he felt his energy wavering. The darkness of space seemed to mimic the hole inside him. Stars danced in space and behind his eyelids.

A feeling, like a voice, suddenly whispered into his mind. It told him to leave her out there. Faltering, he took a breath and opened his eyes. Merlin recoiled from the chilling, abnormal thoughts. He wasn't sure if it was the darkness eating at him, and taking pleasure in the idea, or if it was his own sense of self-preservation, urging him to reconsider.

"Well?" Mitchell prodded through the communications system.

Merlin held out his hand to indicate he needed the man to have patience. Gwaine relayed the message for him.

"Hate to put a rush on this, but the Lucian Alliance are threatening to fire on us."

Carter's voice broke through the static. "Odyssey, I don't know what you can see from your vantage point, but out here, that Mothership looks pretty damaged. I'd be surprised if she was weapons capable."*

"Anytime you're ready, Colonel Emyrs. We're sitting ducks here, if she's wrong." Emerson's voice informed them.

Merlin shut his eyes again and visualized the web. He wasn't about to let his self-doubt damper his desire to save someone. Something caught his attention, as he reached for Carter's lifeline. Unwillingly, he felt his concentration shift from the woman floating helplessly near the Gate to something beyond her...through the still active Supergate.

Aithusa was on the other side of it.

He touched the dragon's mind...something he hadn't been able to do for centuries...and felt the dragon roar in agony. The pain shot through his soul. He heard his own scream, echoing inside his skull. It was all there...just out of his reach.

* * *

“Major Dallon, do we have her?”  Emerson’s voice begged for an answer.

  
“That’s a negative, Sir.”  Gwaine choked out, slowly lowering Merlin’s body to the deck.    _  
_

* * *

  
_A teeny boy holds his father's hand_   
_Walking down the beach._   
_The waves crash, the torches lit._   
_It's hard for him to reach,_   
_But neither wants to be alone._   


  
_A grown man holds his father's hand_   
_His father's on a bed._   
_Nurses come, and doctors too._   
_It's hard for him to reach,_   
_But neither wants to be alone._   


  
_Family falls, just like tears_   
_Breaking doors, over the years_   
_But neither one lets go._   


_~Abney Park "Neither one lets go"_

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> watch?v=T2vqnf-k-H0
> 
> * Stargate: SG-1 borrowed transcript dialogue.
> 
> {1} The Diamond of the Day, part 1.
> 
> Please take a moment to review! Sorry to leave you on another cliffhanger...wait, no I'm not. :D


	13. Chapter 13

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> **Thank you Nance for your amazing feedback and proofreading! And IcarusLSU for helping me check the flow!**
> 
>  
> 
> *Borrowed dialogue from SG-1 ep 10.01
> 
>  
> 
> **For those that read the last chapter just after posting, I went back and edited the very end, adding two lines. I have included them at the beginning of this chapter, just so you don't have to go back.**

* * *

_"Major Dallon, do we have her?" Emerson's voice begged for an answer._

_"That's a negative, Sir." Gwaine choked out, slowly lowering Merlin's body to the deck._

* * *

Merlin had been standing in a cleared space, in the center of the room. Medical personnel had been stationed nearby, waiting to receive Colonel Carter. They had all felt the intangible power building from the seemingly young man. There was no doubt now, that most suspected Merlin of being alien in origin.

The warlock had closed his eyes. His hands were spread before him, as the spell began to work...or so it had appeared.

Merlin's eyelashes fluttered, golden irises barely visible. Gwaine's brow had furrowed in concern. He had felt like something was going wrong, though there was no way for him to put words to his gut instinct. The first outward sign of confirmation, was a small trail of blood that had begun to drip from Merlin's nose.

He was about ready to stop the spell, whether it was by snapping Merlin out of his self-imposed trance, or what...he didn't know.

Then, Merlin screamed.

Reacting immediately, Gwaine jumped forward to catch his friend, before the warlock's body collapsed to the ground.

He stepped back, just as the medical staff sprang into action.

"Where'd she go, then?" Emerson asked.

Gwaine looked at Kvasir. The Asgard blinked and shrugged; wholly unfazed by the development.

"We're not sure. She's not here." He informed the commander.

"She's not on our radar anymore." Emerson responded. Gwaine heard the commander give the next order to the helmsman, a man named Marks. "Move us out of weapons range of the Lucian ship."

"Colonel Emerson, I'm alright!" Carter's said through her radio, and all those listening sighed with relief. "There is a cloaked Tel'tak nearby. The pilot has beaming technology installed, but their communications were damaged during the fight. Their cloak is kind of stuck in the 'on' position. So, they couldn't give us any warning."

"That's great, Colonel! Any chance they can beam you over here to give us a hand getting our systems back online? Leave your suit over there so we can continue to communicate with them, and if they are able to take on any survivors, that would be a great help."

There was a brief pause, before Carter responded, "He said, he'll do what he can."

* * *

Immediately after the transport beam faded, Carter was brought straight into the infirmary. She glanced at the bed next to her, and was surprised to see Merlin. His skin was ashen and pale. Mitchell came over to her, and filled her in on what had transpired when the British Colonel attempted to use his magic to retrieve her.

She smiled encouragingly at Gwaine, who sat at his friend's bedside. "Leon and Percival say 'hi.'" She informed him, as a medical technician began to look her over.

"Is that who saved ya?" He gave her a crooked half-smile.

She couldn't help but take notice, that he was nothing like the jovial man he had been years ago, or even months before. The situation was difficult for the them all, but there seemed to be something more brewing inside Gwaine's thoughts. Carter nodded, "He was able to lock onto Arthur, before the Korolev exploded."

Gwaine released a visible breath of relief. He was surprised to hear that Leon had brought his ship to the actual battlefield. After thinking about it for a moment, he realized that, like all the knights when it came to Arthur, any sanity or logic usually went out the window. "Good. Thank you."

Mitchell's eyebrows rose in desperation. "Did they happen to get Jackson as well?"

Carter blinked against the sudden formation of tears in her eyes. She shook her head. "Any news on Teal'c?"*

"No, but we have something for you."* Mitchell motioned to Marks, standing just behind him.

"We downloaded the black box data from the Korolev."*

Mitchell continued to fill her in. "We know six people were able to get off using the beaming technology. None of them was Jackson. However..."*

She took a tablet he handed her, and started to read it over. "The Rings were also activated. Daniel."* She concluded.

"You betcha."*

* * *

A plastic cup filled with water and ice, was gripped idly in his hands. He stared at the unconscious man in the bed. He tried to will his friend to open his eyes; to show some sign of life, aside from the steady, slow beep of the monitor nearby.

"How's he doing?" Gwaine asked, coming up next to Arthur.

The former king shrugged and sat back in the chair. It had been three days since the battle. The last time he had seen Merlin, was as the warlock was rushing off after Colonel Mitchell. Everything on board the Korolev was in chaos. Systems had been down all over the ship. Though he barely understood all the jargon, the context was there...things were bad.

He was a warrior, and he had known early on that they were losing the battle. Arthur had tried to stick with Dr. Jackson, but when the archaeologist had rushed off to the Ring Room, they had become separated. Everything seemed to be going wrong. The world was literally exploding around him. Then, in a blink of an eye...for one single moment...it had frozen, and he found himself safe on Leon's ship. He had no clue what had happened to his friend, and the other men he'd come to know.

The view out of the window at the front of Leon's ship, was like watching the television thing that he'd recently been introduced to. "Where's Merlin?" He had yelled, immediately noticing the warlock was missing.

Percival had explained that, with the explosion, they hadn't been able to get a solid lock on him.

For a few hours, they had floated in space. Leon had cursed and banged around, inside various panels and compartments, while giving orders to Percival for what he needed to fix his ship. The first non-essential system Leon had managed to get back online was one of his communication receivers.

The three men had cackled in relief, when they heard Mitchell's voice...and Merlin's.

They had overheard the chatter between the Odyssey and Carter. Arthur knew he had been panicking about Merlin using his magic. Leon was trying to beat Merlin to the punch, in saving Carter. The scream through the air waves had torn Arthur's heart out. Moments later, Percival caught Colonel Carter in his arms, as her had knees buckled inside the suit, under the sudden weight of the ship's artificial gravity.

Leon had looked at Arthur, who nodded his assent, before agreeing to assist wherever he was able to. His orders afterward were to head to Earth as soon as they could, in order to regroup with Arthur and the others.

Arthur had been beamed over to the Odyssey, not long after Carter had been sent back. He had almost brought his sword, but the eagerness the others had shown...especially Dr. Jackson...when Merlin had casually mentioned it, stayed his hand.

It didn't really matter much anyway, he knew it would have only been an illusory fix if it had worked. Instinctively, he knew the issue went deeper.

He was silently seething at Merlin's limp form; hooked up to similar medical apparati that he, himself, had been subjected to months before. It was illogical to think that Merlin, even after so many centuries, would think of his own well-being...that just wasn't part of the warlock's nature.

Sighing again, Arthur sat forward. "When I told you not to change, I didn't mean that you shouldn't take care of yourself...idiot."

"He'll be fine, Arthur." Gwaine said, willing himself to believe his own words. "They're about to start beaming people down to the planet, so that they can Gate the injured back to Earth for proper medical treatment. I figured you'd want to go with him."

Arthur nodded absently. "You're coming, too?"

"Naw. I got orders to stay here for awhile, since they're short-handed. I'll be rotated out in a couple days; once the critical have been taken care of."

Silently, he watched Gwaine for a space of a few heartbeats. There was something deeper in the dark brown eyes of his friend and knight. He briefly pondered about asking Gwaine, but instead, he sidestepped the issue. "Any word from Colonel Mitchell?"

"Yeah. They successfully rescued Dr. Jackson, but Chulak was almost a total loss."

"That was Teal'c's home, correct?" Gwaine nodded in answer. Arthur swallowed a hard lump in his throat. "A whole planet?" The idea of such devastation chilled him to the bone.

"It's what these Ori do." Gwaine breathed out. His voice felt like a distant echo. "Fanatical devotion, or total obliteration; pick your poison."

Putting the cup aside, Arthur leaned forward and steepled his fingers under his chin. "I think you need to get out of here, Gwaine. It's time for you to join us. With Leon and his ship, we no longer need the Gate, and it's obvious we know just as much as they do about the Ori...or perhaps, more."

For a fleeting moment, Gwaine's eyes lit up with excitement, but it disappeared just as quickly. He shook his head, regret clouding his face. "I can't."

"Why not?" Arthur demanded.

He opened his mouth to respond, but was interrupted.

"Major Dallon." A young man in a green jumpsuit said, coming upon them. "They're ready to send Colonel Emyrs down to the planet, to join the next group being sent to Earth."

Gwaine nodded and thanked the man. Medical personnel moved towards the bed, ending the conversation between him and Arthur.

"We'll speak about this more later." Arthur said to him, as they stepped back and let the medics work. Within hours, they were back on Earth.

* * *

  
_IF YOU WERE GONE IN ANOTHER LIFE_   
_I DON'T BELIEVE I WOULD JUST SURVIVE_   
_I COULD FEEL YOU NEXT TO ME_   
_AN ESCAPE FROM THE WORLD I'M IN_   
_OH, I'M AFRAID OF THE WORLD I'M IN_   


_~Katie Herzig, Lost and Found_

* * *

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> **This chapter marks the end of part 4. Part 5 is shaping up to be a lot of fun, and a lot more AU from Stargate as I bring my ideas together. (Although, there still may be some SG-1 that I draw from...a couple of episodes in particular :D )**
> 
>  
> 
> Please take a moment to review, if you would be so kind! Short or long, I love you all!


	14. Chapter 14

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ok...I sorta lied...I realized that last wasn't QUITE the end of part 4...so here's a bit more, kind of the epilogue. Followed by a prologue of sorts, with a but of a hint for what's to come in part 5 :D
> 
> Proofread by Nance, flow help from IcarusLSU, all remaining mistakes are mine, sadly Gwaine...er Merlin, still isn't.
> 
> Reviews help to feed my starving tortured muses!

 

* * *

The trip through the smaller wormhole didn't hold the same fascination as his first, and only, other time through had...not after having witnessed the Supergate come to life. Upon arrival, Merlin was taken directly to the infirmary, where Dr. Lam made him a personal priority.

Arthur was grateful that Merlin would be under her direct care, and not one of the other doctors or medical personnel.

"I'm going to be taking him for some tests...CT scans and MRIs. It'll be a rather long and boring process, until the results come back." She told him, while making notations on a clipboard.

"That's alright. I'm not leaving his side." Arthur stated in a determined voice.

Carolyn sighed and dropped the clipboard to her side. "Listen...I know you want to stay with him, but you've been through a lot this last week. He's not going to disappear if you take your eyes off of him...at least, I don't think he will."

The former king's blue eyes shot up at the doctor. Her face appeared serious, save for a small twitch at the corner of her mouth and the twinkle in her dark eyes. "A joke...ha, ha...funny." Arthur deadpanned.

"Alright, just trying to get you to relax. Although, there are a couple things you should do, while he's being assessed."

"What would those things be?"

"Take a shower, get yourself something to eat...and call your wife. I'm sure she's a bit worried about you. I'll call Dr. Jones in a few minutes, in order to update her about Colonel Emyrs, once we get him settled into the MRI machine."

"What am I going to tell Guinevere...?"

"Just that you're perfectly safe. Remember, you signed a confidentiality agreement. Unfortunately, that means you can't tell her the full situation"

"I understand." He did understand. He didn't have to like it, and while he was here, and Merlin was under the care of the SGC, he would adhere to the agreement of that document. Once they were all safely back home, he planned to tell her more...but, how much more? He couldn't say. How did you tell the woman you loved, the mother of your child...soon to be children...that there was an alien race out there with the power and ability to kill off every living thing, human or otherwise, who refused to bow down to them?

He was grateful that Guinevere had always understood. As king, there had been occasions he wasn't able to share things with her. However, Dr. Lam was right about at least one thing...he should call her and let her know he was still alive. The ability to simply pick up a device and speak with someone halfway around the world was still utterly fascinating. His heart clenched with a sudden longing to hear her voice.

"Airman Barrett will be assigned to you. He'll show you to the locker rooms and the cafeteria. I'll contact you through him, once the tests are completed and you can return."

Nodding reluctantly, he watched, as his friend was wheeled out of the main room.

* * *

"Hello? Arthur?"

"Hello, Guinevere." He smiled, and felt moisture stinging his eyes.

"Oh, Arthur. We've been getting worried, since we hadn't heard from any of you!" It was a breath of fresh air through the phone.

"I know. We're all safe." He kept his answers as simple as he could, hoping she wouldn't delve into any serious questions over the phone, especially while the Airman assigned to babysit him was sitting nearby. The man was polite enough to maintain a bit of distance, and allow Arthur his privacy, but he still appeared to be keeping a watchful eye.

He heard mumbling in the background, as if Gwen had covered the mouthpiece on the phone for a moment. When the sound became clear again, Gwen was giggling, "Martha said to tell her husband if he ever wants to drive his new car again, he better damn well call her ASAP."

Clenching his jaw, his mind rushed for a response. "He's, uh...a bit...He can't right now, but I will pass on the message. How is everyone there? Is Aurelianus missing his father?"

Gwen's voice hesitated. "Yes...he is. Arthur, what's going on? What happened?"

He gulped audibly. "I can't explain it, just yet. I just wanted to call and...I needed to hear your voice."

Once again, there was a muffled dialogue taking place in the background. Instead of Gwen, he heard Martha's voice come on the line. "Arthur, where's my husband?"

He sighed and his heart sank. "Martha...Dr. Lam will be calling you soon to explain."

She took on a professional tone. He could sense that she wanted to press him for more details, but being a trained medical doctor herself, she understood Arthur's information might not be the most accurate assessment. "I see." She said reluctantly, "Well, I'll let you speak with Gwen, then."

"Arthur, are you alright? Really?" Gwen asked.

He could envision her chewing on her lower lip. "Physically...yes."

"...And otherwise?" She inquired softly.

He shook his head, but then realized she couldn't see it. "I don't think any of us will be for a while."


End file.
